LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Chap. Copyright No.. 

Shelf.£>X„W4^ 
^4bfe$5 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! 






A CONSECRATED LIFE 



-OR THE- 



iiography of John Sheridan. 



fe«^« 



BY 

WILLIAM SHERIDAN, 

Pastor of the Oliver Place Baptist Church, 

Toledo, Ohio. 



THE ANDREWS-JONES PRINTING CO, 









. 



Copyright 1898, 

By WILLIAM SHERIDAN, 

Toledo, Ohio. 



UfC COPIES RECEIVED- 



PV, 




ELECTROTYPED BY C J. CAMPBELL & CO.. TOLEDO 0~- 






PREFACE. 



^TTy^HEN I first thought of writing about the life 
* * and labors of my brother John, my chief aim 
was to enable his many friends and admirers to learn 
something about the instrumentalities used of God 
in fitting him for a sphere of extensive usefulness. 
In addition to this, I desired to do what I could toward 
preserving his memory for the sake of our family, 
with the hope that generations yet to come might be 
influenced by the kDowledge that their family had 
produced a man of rare Christian worth. Some of 
"his closest friends have urged me to write with " a 
larger constituency in view,' 5 and speak mainly of the 
unique City Missionary who blazed his own way, 
and who met with great success. The friend at 
whose home he made one of his last social calls, 
Churchill H. Cutting, Esq , had the goodness to call 
on me when he was passing through Toledo in Sep- 
tember, 1897. During the delightful time that we 
-were together, he urged me strongly to prepare such 
a work. The opinion of one whose ability and intel- 
ligence are undoubted was not to be passed over 
lightly, more especially as it is also the opinion of 
other persons of decided intelligence. In attempting 
to comply with the wishes of such friends I am well 



6 PREFACE. 

aware that the task is a difficult one. Religious biog- 
raphies but rarely have a wide circulation ; in many 
instances they are disappointing, Doubtless this 
arises in a large measure from the fact that it is 
utterly impossible to reproduce any man who has 
ceased from his labors as he appeared to those among 
whom he mingled in the days of his activity. My 
nephew, William H. Sheridan, speaking of his father's 
likeness, says : " No photograph could do justice to 
father, as it was the kindly expression that lighted up 
his face, an expression that cannot be reproduced." 
And if this is true with regard to his personal appear- 
ance, how much more difficult must it be to give a 
just presentation of his life and work? The Marquess 
of Dufferin says in his introduction to the " Life of 
the Right Honorable Richard Rrinsley Sheridan," by 
Mr. W. Fraser Rae, — a most admirable work, highly 
commended by his Lordship: " One is tempted to 
wonder whether, even in the most favorable circum- 
stances, any human being can be really resuscitated, 
and a fair presentation given of the component parts 
of his nature, of the workings of his mind, and of the 
successive acts by which they were followed. Even 
in art, what a confusion of identity exists in the por- 
traiture of the same individual by different hands ! 
No one can tell what Mary Queen of Scots was like, 
and the portraits of Napoleon before he became 
famous convey the idea of a very different face from 
that preserved in his later likenesses. How much 
more difficult becomes the task when we are dealing 
with the subtler lineaments of the soul, the spirit, 



PEEFACE. 7 

the moral and the intellectual character! " His Lord- 
ship's words are words of wisdom. The task of the 
biographer is indeed a difficult one ; but in this un- 
pretentious book I do not attempt the impossible ; I 
simply aim to give some glimpses of a thoroughly 
consecrated life. 

The u unique" City Missionary was " made," so to 
speak, in an Irish hamlet, insigificant in appearance, 
yet the home of many who were recognized as men 
and women of intelligence. Environment has, there- 
fore, a prominent place in this work. The home of 
his boyhood, in many respects, was unique, and his 
father's influence over him was very great. Without 
giving prominence to that influence, and to the influ- 
ence of his early home, it would be impossible to 
account for the unique City Missionary. He lacked 
three months of being thirty-one years of age when 
he came to this country, yet he had already been the 
means in the hands of God of doing a great work. 
That work is duly noticed, as are the noble men and 
women associated with him in Christian effort. If 
my readers would know how it was that the South 
Brooklyn City Missionary became a man of power 
among all classes, they would do well to read carefully 
what is said about his life and work in his native land. 

The Appendix is given for the information of his 
kindred, and those who bear his name. And yet the 
general reader can see there that many of John Sheri- 
dan's best traits came to him as an inheritance ; that 
inheritance, environment, his father'-s influence, and 
above all, the influence of the Bible over him, and 



8 PREFACE. 

. the grace of God which in him " was exceedingly 
abundant with faith and love," will account for much 
in his most useful life. 

In Ireland the old language is usually called Irish, 
but with many in this country " Irish " means Eng- 
lish spoken with an Irish brogue. I therefore speak 
of it as Gaelic, which, indeed, is the proper name for 
the ancient language of Ireland, Scotland, and the 
Isle of Man. 

William Sheridan. 

Toledo, Ohio, June, 1898. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 
Preface - - - 5 

CHAPTER I. 

Why should his biography be written ? His birth and 
parentage. His early love for a seafaring life. His 
love for the Bible. The village in which he was 
brought up-- ---.■- - " - - -11 

CHAPTER II. 

Early religious experience. Influence of the home. His 

father's decided Christian character 23 

CHAPTEK III. 

Manifestations of the new life. His interview with the 
Parish Priest. Heading the Gselic Bible in Roman 
Catholic homes. Employed by the Irish Society. Is 
sent to West Connaught. Goes to Tourmakady. The 
noble Plunket family 45 

CHAPTEB IV. 

Successful at Tourmakady. The Eev. Alex. E. C. Dallas, 
Eev. John O'Callaghan, Eev. H. Townsend. Cor- 
respondence of the then future Archbishop of Dub- 
lin. Letters written by other members of the 
Plunket family. The elevating nature of Missions 
in the south and w T est of Ireland 57 



10 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 



Page 



Comes to America. Interview with Doctor Tyng. Doc- 
tor Osgood and Flushing. Goes to Brooklyn. His 
influence among all classes. Extensive usefulness. 
Letter of Eev. William Hyde. Letter of T. Edwin 
Brown, D. D. A son of thunder, yet an apostle of 
love 73 

CHAPTER VI. 

Items of interest. His tact. His knowledge of lan- 
guages. His advantages. Implicit faith in the pro- 
tection of the Almighty 96 

CHAPTER VII. 

E. E. L. Taylor, D.D. The Hoag family. His marriage. 

Family affairs Ill 

CHAPTER VIII. 

New friendships formed and the old retained. Visits to 
Bath, N. Y. Is useful to the last. Letter of Alfred 
H. Porter, Esq. Letters of Doctor Osgood. Letter 
of Doctor Weston. Notices of the Eeligious Press. 
Thoughts on his funeral 127 

CHAPTER IX. 

Addresses made, and letters read at his funeral. A 
loving tribute prepared by a committee of the Strong 
Place Church. Memorial notice in Minutes of Long 
Island Baptist Association 152 

APPENDIX. 

The Sheridans of Sligo and Brefney. The Banshee. The 
brilliant family of the name. Lament of the Irish 
Emigrant ... 178 



CHAPTER I. 

BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 

WHY should the biography of John Sheridan 
be written ? The fact that he was a good 
man, in itself, is not enough to warrant anyone to 
write a sketch of his life. If the biographies of all 
good men and women were written, we might use the 
words of the Apostle John and say : " the world itself 
could not contain all the books that should be writ- 
ten." If I should say that he was no ordinary Christ- 
ian, the assertion might be set down to the partiality 
of a brother. Instead, then, of giving my own opin- 
ion, I will quote from others. On the seventh day of 
February, 1897, his pastor, the Eev. Frank P. Stod- 
dard, preached a sermon " In Memory of the Eev, 
John Sheridan/'' at the Strong Place Baptist Church, 
where he was known and loved by all, both young- 
and old. The text was Philippians 1: 21: "For me 
to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Mr. Stoddard 
said : — 

" Within the range of my personal knowledge, there 
is no man of whom I could use these words more 
truthfully than of our beloved brother Sheridan. 
Truly for him to live was Christ and to die was gain. 
Without any fear of contradiction from those who 
knew him best, we assert that the world has lost one 
of its great men in the death of John Sheridan. True, 



12 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

his memory will not be preserved on massive shaft of 
granite standing beside the way where wealth, and 
pomp, and worldly glory pass ; nor will his familiar 
form, cast in everlasting bronze, be seen on the public 
square ; and the student of coming generations may 
search in vain to find one page of history devoted to 
the record of his noble life. And yet, no braver hero 
ever fell in shock of battle, or fought amid the clash 
of arms. No truer man has held a place of trust, or 
wrought in legislative halls, or lifted voice in the 
defence of truth, and righteousness, and suffering 
humanity. No purer and more Christ-like man has 
ever stood in the pulpit, or sat in the pew, or blessed 
the community, or adorned the home." 

A man of whom all this could be said truthfully, 
was no ordinary man, and Pastor Stoddard's congre- 
gation was in full sympathy with every word that he 
uttered in praise of him whom they all delighted to 
honor. 

The report of his funeral that appeared in the 
Brooklyn edition of the New York Tribune of Jan- 
uary 21, 1897, also gives evidence in the same direc- 
tion : 

" The congregation that assembled last night at the 
Strong Place Baptist Church to attend the funeral of 
Rev. John Sheridan was not only large, but remarka- 
ble in this that it represented every condition in life. 
There was something strangely impressive in the 
character of the assemblage that defied the storm to 
come forth from all parts of the city simply to do 
honor to a faithful missionary. In another respect it 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 13 

was not an ordinary gathering. The deep, heart felt 
grief which the people of the water-front felt, could 
not be controlled. Everywhere were Been poorly 
dressed women, and even men down whose faces the 
tears were coursing, and whenever there was a refer- 
ence by one of the speakers to Mr. Sheridan's work 
among them, there was an outburst of sighs and sobs, 
while many of the women simply broke down, and, 
holding their handkerchiefs to their overflowing eyes 
wept silently. At one point in Dr. Hoyt's remarks 
several women, unable to bear the strain, arose and 
walked out of the church with their handkerchiefs 
held to their eyes." 

It was one of the stormiest nights of the season, yet 
the large house was filled to its utmost capacity, and 
hundreds were compelled to turn regretfully away. 
It is the opinion of many that there never has been 
another such funeral in Brooklyn. 

A sketch of the life and labors of such a man ought 
to be of interest to all who are well- wishers of the 
human family, as he aimed to be a blessing to men 
and women of all classes and nationalities. As* may 
be seen by the preface, the writer is not unmindful 
of the fact that it is exceedingly difficult to reproduce 
those who have passed from our sight, but he is not 
without hope that enough shall be seen of that truly 
noble life to stimulate many a reader to do unselfish, 
energetic work for God ; and to work for God is to 
work for humanity, God working in us both to will 
and to do of his good pleasure. 



14 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

John Sheridan was the son of Patrick and Marga- 
ret (Walsh) Sheridan. He was born at Dooneen, his 
maternal grandmother's home, August 17, 1824. Doo- 
neen is on the County Sligo side of the Killala Bay, 
about five miles from Ballina. As soon as practica- 
ble he and his mother were taken to their home in 
Carrowpaden, also in County Sligo, and about nine 
miles northeast of Dooneen. His mother died at the 
birth of her sixth son, her death having been caused 
by a fall. On the day of her death John lacked three 
months of being eleven years of age. Two of her 
sons died when they were infants, and one died in his 
fourth year. John was the first-born. His mother's 
memory was tenderly cherished by him during his 
entire life. She was noted for her amiability and for 
her kindness to the poor, but this amiability was by 
no means the product of weakness, as she possessed 
much force of character. The second mother was 
Miss Hannah Fitzpatrick, whose family and the Walsh 
family had long been on the most intimate terms. It 
was not, therefore, difficult for her to treat the only 
brother of her predecessor as if he were her own 
brother. Her children and his grew up to be on as 
friendly terms with each other as if they were cous- 
ins. Although she was many years the junior of her 
husband, she died several years before him. After 
months of great suffering she died December 18, 1870. 
Her son James died in September, 1875. 

Carrowpaden continued to be the home of John 
Sheridan until he reached his twenty-fourth year. 
The home of his boyhood and early manhood was 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 15 

about one mile distant from the great Atlantic, and 
this nearness to the ocean exerted an influence over 
him through life. When quite young he could " box 
the compass," and could name most parts of a ship. 
His highest ambition then was to study navigation 
and prepare himself for the position of a sea captain. 
When permitted to go with those who went out in 
boats to salute the in-coming ships by saying " ship 
ahoy," he was delighted, especially so when they were 
taken on board. This will, in part, explain his deep 
interest in sailors during his missionary life. With- 
out doubt his early love for the sea and a sea-faring 
life had much to do with his interest in those " that 
go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great 
waters." It was not by accident that he became " the 
friend of the sailor. 5 ' 

In many respects it may be said that he was well- 
born. He inherited a healthy body and a sound mind 
from a virtuous ancestry. In Ireland there is much 
in a name, and Sheridan is an honored name in that 
country. The Sheridans of County Sligo trace their 
origin to the chieftains of that name, who for centu- 
ries were prominent in Brefney East, known in more 
modern times as County Cavan. Of them it has been 
said : "they lived like princes in the land." But 
what was of far greater importance than mere descent 
from prominent ancestors of the dim past, was the 
fact that his immediate ancestors were far above the 
average in their mental endowments. This was cer- 
tainly true of his father, who in large measure inheri- 
ted what were called in his community " the gifts 



16 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

of the Sheridans." The County Sligo family were 
said to be " gifted," and the credit thus given was in- 
dependent of the fame acquired by the brilliant fam- 
ily of the name. The instructions given by his father 
and the impressions made by him went far towards 
making up for the lack of a collegiate education, a 
lack that he felt most keenly. The remarkable mem- 
ory that enabled him to be intimately acquainted 
with thousands of persons and with their affairs, was 
inherited from the family that gave him his name. 
So also were his conversational gifts, to which very 
much of his success might be justly attributed. His 
father went through life without having either pov- 
erty or riches. Even in the terrible times of the Irish 
famine he was abundantly able to provide for his 
family. He was also able to render aid to some of 
his less fortunate neighbors, and this was the source 
of great satisfaction to him. On the other hand he 
was so far from occupying a position of affluence that 
his sons were fully conscious of the fact that when 
they would reach their manhood they would have to 
depend wholly upon their own exertions, under the 
guiding hand of God. Neither poverty nor riches ! 
" Happy is that people that is in such a case ; yea, 
happy is that people whose God is the Lord." 

If it is true that Nature is partial to men of mixed 
blood, in this also John Sheridan was fortunate. 
Although the Sheridans prided themselves in their 
Milesian origin, they intermarried with families that 
inherited English, Scotch, and "Welsh blood, — in all 
probability the blood of all the British races mingled 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 17 

in his veins ; and yet he did not wish to be known as 
Anglo-Irish, or Scotch-Irish, but simply Irish. Just 
that, no more, no less, only that as a citizen he waa 
wholly American. 

Heredity, environment, regeneration, consecration, 
dedication. Each of these had some share in the 
making of the unique City Missionary, but regenera- 
tion had most to do in the good work. It was the 
divine spark imparted in the new birth that gave force 
and direction to his natural pow ers. Without this life 
of God in the soul he might have been a local leader, 
or a politician of more or less note, but without it he 
never could have been the great moral force that he 
proved to be during his many years of extensive use- 
fulness. " That by these," says the Apostle Peter, 
" ye might be partakers of the divine nature/' 2 Peter, 
1 : 4. This was no mere figure of speech then : it is 
not now. It was and is a blessed reality. 

In his boyhood days he was gentle in manner, and 
mild in disposition. As he never used profane lan- 
guage, and was usually on good terms 'with his play- 
mates, mothers held him up as a model to their sons. 
Toward his younger brothers he never showed the 
spirit that is supposed to belong to the " big brother/' 
In his tenderness toward Patrick and myself he acted 
more like a sister than the big brother. As the years 
rolled on he would tell us about our mother, and, in 
tender tones he would also tell us about the kind of 
boys she would expect us to be if she had lived. And 
yet, strange as it may seem, he caused his father a 
great deal of uneasiness. His love for the water 



18 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

caused him to disregard the parental desire that each 
member of the househould would honor the Lord's 
Day. He frequently took advantage of his father's 
attendance at meetings, when held at a distance from 
home, and spent such Sundays boating. Up to his 
sixteenth year he had no scruples about using the 
Lord's Day in pleasure-seeking. This will doubtless 
seem strange to those who know that he never crossed 
the Brooklyn ferry on Sunday, and never used the 
street cars on that day. His disregard for Sunday in 
his boyhood days brought him at times into company 
that would not have been chosen for him. 

A sea-faring life became more and more fascinating 
to him, but he knew that he would not get his father's 
consent to go to sea, and so, when he reached his six- 
teenth year, he went to the town of Sligo without the 
knowledge of any member of the family, expecting to 
bind himself as a cabin boy, and with the hope that 
one day he would become the proud master of a 
vessel. He called at the home of a relative on his 
mother's side, whose husband was a sea captain. His 
hope was that this captain would take him on his ship 
and help him in his purpose to become something 
more than a common sailor. The captain happened 
to be on a voyage, and his wife gave the boy good 
advice. After having told him about the hardships 
that even masters of vessels had to endure, she said : 
" John, you have a good father who loves you very 
much. You have done wrong in leaving home without 
his knowledge or consent. You had better return 
home and tell him about your desires, and if he is 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 19 

willing to bind you as a cabin boy, your chances of 
rising will be very much greater than if you were 
taken on some ship as a runaway boy.' 1 

Return home ! How could he ! Everybody would 
laugh at him. He would be looked upon at home as 
a runaway boy, and thus life would be made misera- 
ble. No, he could not return to his father's home. 
While viewing matters in this unfavorable light, his 
uncle John, his father's oldest brother went after him. 
He was assured by his uncle that he would not be 
treated as he feared. He knew that his uncle loved 
him ; he also knew that his father was proud of Uncle 
John, and would therefore be influenced by him and 
so he returned to his home. 

After his return, the father and son were closeted 
together for several hours. What passed between 
them then no one but themselves ever fully knew, but 
from remarks made by him in his later years, there is 
no doubt but it was then that his father told him that 
from his birth he had been praying that God would 
use him in his work. Certain it is, that after this a 
great change could be seen in his life. Before this, 
he had committed several chapters of the Bible to 
memory, but this was done because it was his father's 
wish that he should do so. After this the Bible 
became his constant companion. It was not long 
until it became " the man of his council, and the guide 
of his life." Every spare moment was given t© it. 
Works of fiotion of which he had been fond, he cared 
for no more ; even his flute was neglected. The Bible 
had a strange fascination for him, and for a time he 



20 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

cared for no other book. It was then that he laid the 
foundation for such knowledge of the Bible as was 
looked on with astonishment by many of his friends. 

Immediately after the interview referred to, his 
father gave directions to the other members of the 
family that nothing was to be said in John's presence 
about his having left home as a runaway. In his home 
my father ruled by love, but notwithstanding this, or 
it may have been because of this, his word was law. So 
there w r as not a word said in John's presence about 
that which he himself regretted to his dying day. 

The village in which he was brought up consisted 
of a number of houses on either side of the public 
road. Most of the houses were in the town land of 
Carrowpaden, but some of them were in the town land 
of Carrowinrush. It was chiefly the home of mechan- 
ics or " trades-people," as they called themselves, that 
is, people who worked at trades. A few farmers lived 
there then as now, and farm laborers also. The homes 
of the " trades-people " were quite humble, yet I 
verily believe there was more real happiness there 
than exists in the more nicely furnished homes of the 
mechanics of the present time. In those days the 
man who had a trade felt quite independent. " I 
have a trade, — by it I will earn bread. It is an estate 
that holds out for life/' are words which were often 
f heard then. At least some of the families were well 
satisfied with their lot. The wife of the village cooper 
used to say that her husband should be named "peck 
of gold," so much, in her estimation, was he able to 
earn, whilst the good natured wheelwright would 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 21 

laughingly say : " I am the man who should be called 
'peck of gold.' " The ;i trades-people " were patron- 
ized by the farmers for miles around, and were on the 
best of terms with their employers. There were no 
strikes amongst them. It is doubtful if such a thing 
as a strike was as much as thought of. Besides 
mechanics, farmers, and farm laborers, there were 
some " haberdashers/' or sellers of small- wares, and 
what was of great importance, the school " master " 
was there. For several generations the village school 
w r as taught by Protestants, some of whom were Bap- 
tists. English was the only language taught in that 
school even in the eighteenth century, when the over- 
whelming majority in the town lands near by were a 
Gselic speaking people. English was the language of 
the village folk, although many amongst the seniors 
could speak the Gselic also. The juniors understood 
the Gselic, yet but few of them ever attempted to use 
it in conversation, and this was true even of those who 
could read it, The village people themselves called 
their place Carrowpaden, the name of the town land 
upon which most of it was built, but in the last cen- 
tury the Gseiic speaking people for miles around 
called it " Balla na Preachers/' that is, the town of 
the preachers, and this English equivalent continued 
to be the name of the village, to many, as late as the 
middle of the present century. 

Many ministers of note visited " the town of the 
preachers," some of them English, some Irish, and 
some American, among them the celebrated Lorenzo 
Dow, whose eccentricities were as well known there 



22 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

as m his native town in Connecticut. No minister 
visits the " town " of the preachers now, as the village 
has disappeared. The " trades-people " have gone to 
the cities, or have emigrated. The homes of farmers 
and farm laborers are the only houses to be seen now 
in Oarrowpaden. But although it is no longer the 
" town " of the preachers, I am happy to be able to 
say that it is still & place for preaching. Once each 
month at the Sheridan home, now occupied by my 
brother Thomas, the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour 
is faithfully proclaimed. 

The fact that the village had been a preaching 
center for generations had its influence over the in- 
habitants, Protestant and Roman Catholic. The type 
of Protestantism that prevailed there was kindly in 
its nature. It made a broad distinction between the 
Romish system and those whom they looked upon as 
dupes of that system. Against Rome as a crushing 
tyranny they labored and prayed, but towards their 
Roman Catholic neighbors they cherished the kind- 
liest of feelings. The predominant thought was that 
they should do all in their power to win their Roman 
Catholic neighbors to Christ. Without doubt, the 
prominence given in the community to evangelical 
rather than political Protestantism developed a Christ- 
like spirit towards those with whom they mingled in 
daily life. Nor were the Roman Catholics unmoved 
by that spirit. At one time or another most of them 
heard the Gospel from the lips of faithful preachers. 
As some noted man came along, their curiosity led 
them to the place where the Gospel of the grace of 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 23 

God was proclaimed. In this way, as well as by per- 
sonal contact with men and women of piety, their 
prejudices were softened. As they listened to loving 
words about the Saviour of sinners from the lips of 
those who preached His truth, they formed a favorable 
opinion of the religion of their Protestant neighbors, 
and some of them learned that salvation is not through 
priest, or Church, but through personal faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. It was no uncommon thing to 
hear them say that they did not trust in Church or 
priest for salvation, but in the Saviour who died for 
them. For this Scriptural view of salvation they were 
indebted to evangelical Protestantism. No wonder 
that families who differed in Church connections 
lived on kindly terms with each other. As I look 
'back over my boyhood days, I do not remember of 
any quarrels on account of religious differences. And 
yet the community was not altogether free from reli- 
gious bigotry. 

There was a woman in the village who was known 
to everybody as Biddy, and who could " swear like a 
trooper/' A mild-mannered and truly pious Protest- 
ant said to her one day : " Biddy, I wish you would 
not swear so in the presence of the children. You are 
giving them a bad example. Won't you please give 
up swearing, at least when the children are near ? " 
With bowed form, and in tones of apparent contrition 
she said: "I know it !; I know it! " Then after a 
moment's silence, she straightened herself — and she 
was a giantess in stature, — and said in tones that 
could be heard over the greater part of the village : 



24 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

" but for all that I stand a better chance of getting to 
Heaven than you do, for I am a Catholic, and may be 
forgiven, but you are a heretic, and never can get to 
Heaven." Biddy was a good Romanist, but a poor 
Christian. Most firmly did she believe in the outra- 
geous dogma that there is no salvation outside the 
pale of the Roman Church, but the precepts of the 
religion of Christ had but little power over her life. 
I am happy to be able to say that many of her co- 
religionists in that village were more charitable than 
their church, for when this very " heretic " died they 
declared that such a good man as he was must have 
gone to heaven. 

In John Sheridan's early boyhood the village meet- 
ings were usually held at the home of a Mr. and Mrs. 
Faucett, but sometimes they were held at the Sheri- 
dan home. The last named home became the stated 
place of meeting later on. Mr. and Mrs. Faucett were 
members of the Episcopal Church, but of the evan- 
gelical type. Ministers of all evangelical denomina- 
tions were welcome to their hospitable home. Mr. 
Faucett was a church warden for many years. He 
was respected by all classes ; by Protestants for his 
piety, by Roman Catholics for his goodness. But for 
all his piety and goodness, it would seem that he 
sometimes slept at church. This became known in a 
way that created no small amount of amusement 
among the people in that community. There was a 

man in the village named Michael B , who made 

a living (such as it was), for himself and family by 
making and peddling brooms, or besoms, as they were 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 25 

called. He and his wife used to go to the mountains 
several miles distant, and there cut down heather, 
which they carried home on their backs. This heather 
they turned into besoms, and then sold them at the 
farm houses. How hard they worked ! And for a 
mere pittance ! Yet Michael was always cheerful, 
even jolly. They were Eoman Catholics, but, 
unlike the other village folk, they seldom if ever 
attended their place of worship. They said they 
needed Sunday for rest, and certainly this was 
no mere excuse. But they had a daughter named 
Peggy who was getting to be a " slip of a girl." She 
<lid not go to the mountain for heather, nor did she 
peddle besoms. She could therefore go to church, if 
suitably dressed. So, by much self-denial, Michael 
and his wife "scraped " a few shillings together and 
bought Peggy an outfit. One bright Sunday morning 
Peggy started for Easkey, animated by the comforta- 
ble belief that she was a well-dressed girl. Her 
parents, having shared in this belief, stood at their 
cottage door and proudly watched her until she was 
lost to their view at "Cloodheen com" (crooked 
corner). When Peggy returned she had much to say 
about what she had seen and heard, more especially 
about what she had seen. Somehow it did not sound 
right. Her father began to suspect that she had gone 
to the wrong Church. So he said : " Peggy agra 
(Peggy love), did you see anybody at Church to-day 
that you knew ?" " Yes, father, I saw Mr. Faucett, 
and he was asleep in a big chest," was her reply. The 
" big chest " was the old-fashioned square pew, as 



26 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

familiar in those days to the church-goers in this 
country as to the Protestants of Ireland. Michael's 
suspicions were well founded. Peggy's first day at 
church was spent with the heretics. But instead of 
having been shocked by this, her parents looked upon 
it as a good joke. So wherever they went selling their 
besoms they told about Peggy and Mr. Faucett, and 
the big chest. In this way it became known for 
miles around that a pious Episcopal warden could 
take as comfortable a nap in the house of God as the 
proverbial Baptist or Congregational deacon. 

There were many persons in that village whose 
individuality was quite marked. Had I the pen of a 
Barry, or an Ian McLaren. I could tell about men 
and women who were fully as interesting as any that 
ever lived at " Thrums " or " Dromtoghty." I could 

tell about J S , the village wit, the man who 

never laughed at his own jokes, whilst everybody else 
who heard them indulged most freely in laughter. 
Some of his jokes were as wise as they were witty. 
Dancing he called " a simple fit of madness," and 
when he described the symptoms, lovers of the dance 
laughed as heartily as those who were uninitiated in 

the mysteries of " the light, fantastic toe." J. S 

was a Protestant, but his wife w r as a Roman Catholic. 
Their four sons were brought up in the religion of 
their father, whilst their only daughter went with her 
mother. 

I would also like to tell about Thaddeus F , 

whom everybody called Tadie. He was the Hans 
Andersen, the story-teller to the boys of the comma- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 2? 

nity. Of course they liked him and he liked them. 
He never seemed so happy as when his house was 
filled with boys who listened with attention as he told 
thera stories about the long ago. In conversation, 
Tadie talked to the boys in fairly good English, but 
his stories were always told in the Gaelic language. 
The boys of those days could not speak that language, 
or supposed they could not, but they understood 
every word of it when spoken by others. Tadie began, 
almost every story by saying: " There was a man long 
ago, and long ago it was. If he were living now he 
would not have been living then, and as he was living 
then he is not living now." This was said in the 
most solemn manner, as he never aimed to make the 
boys laugh. Although he was not given to jokes, no 
public speaker has ever had more attentive hearers 
than he had, notwithstanding the fact that he told 
his stories over and over again. In his letters to me 
my brother often spoke of the man who helped 
to brighten his boyhood days, and always called him 
" kind hearted Tadie ;" and kind hearted he was. In 
imagination I can now see his genial face, and I can 
hear his pleasant voice as he tells the story that I 
liked so well, the story of " Eshean agus thier na 
oga," or Ossian and the country of (perpetual) youth. 
Tadie was a Koman Catholic, but was altogether free 
from religious bigotry. 

Others, men and women, whose individuality was 
most decidedly marked, seem to stand before me now 
and they seem to say: " write about me," "and me," 
"and me." But now my plan of this book becomes 



28 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 

personified, and says to me in tones that must be 
heeded: " not now." xlnd I repeat the words "not 
now," but, alas ! not now means never. 



CHAPTER II. 

EARLY CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE. THE HOME. 

"FN the sketch of his life written a short time before 
-*- his death, he says: "My father's reverence for 
the Holy Scriptures, and his earnest desire to per- 
suade his kindred and acquaintances to flee for refuge 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator and 
Saviour, made a deep impression on my youthful 
mind." There is no doubt but this impression was 
made long before he reached his sixteenth year, 
although that was the time when his outward life 
seemed changed. He remembered conversations that 
occured between his father and Christian visitors at 
the home before he was ten years of age, an evidence 
that, in some degree, he was interested in religious 
things at a very early age, In his letters to me, he 
often spoke of strong conviction of sin in early boy- 
hood, and of his unwillingness then to yield to the 
wooings of the Spirit. Notwithstanding his kindly 
disposition, and his love for the Christian people who 
visited the home, it is not probable that he knew 
anything experimentally about the life of God in the 
soul before the long interview between himself and 
father alluded to. After that he not only studied the 
Bible, but also accompanied his father to religious 
meetings, even when such meetings were held at quite 



30 A CONSECEATED LIFE. 

a distance from home. And yet it was a long time 
before he became fully satisfied in his own mind. 

When* some eighteen or nineteen years of age, his 
health failed. Well meaning, but injudicious friends 
talked to him about consumption. Although he did 
not inherit any tendencies to that disease from either 
father or mother, he began to think that his time on 
earth was short. This was used of God to the deep- 
ening of the religious life in his soul. When his 
health was restored, he became outspoken on behalf 
of the Gospel of Christ, so much so that many won- 
dered at his courage. In early boyhood he was called 
" his mother's boy," as he was supposed to have inher- 
ited her mild ways, but at the time of which we are 
now speaking, he became fearless as a champion in 
the cause of his Lord and Master. In this respect he 
resembled his father, who, like John Knox, "'never 
feared the face of clay." In those days, and in that 
part of Ireland, it took moral courage and much of it 
to stand up manfully for Jesus. On his father's tomb- 
stone are the words: " Converted in early life, he was 
for more than half a century a bold and an able de- 
fender of Evangelical truth." No truer words were 
ever placed over any man's grave. No wonder, then, 
that his joy was great when his first-born became 
fearless for Christ. 

The members of the Easkey Baptist Churoh were 
without pastoral care at this time, only as they were 
visited by the pastor of the Baptist church at Ballina, 
some sixteen miles distant. Such visits were but 
seldom made on the Lord's Day. This did not hinder 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 31 

the disciples from coming together " on the first day 
of the week to break bread," one of their number 
having been appointed by vote of the church to pre- 
side. For quite a time they met at each others' 
homes, the Sheridan home having been one of these 
places when they met. They finally decided to meet 
every Sunday in an upper room at Easkey that was 
used during the week as a school-room, the teacher 
having been a member of their church. It was in 
that room that John Sheridan first led in prayer. His 
uncle John, who was kneeling by his side, was moved 
to tears. The thought came to him with great power 
that the boy whom he helped to save from a seafaring 
life would yet preach the Gospel. He had heard 
many men of note preach and pray, including the 
celebrated Lorenzo Dow, but he had never before 
heard a prayer that moved him like that. Why John 
did not unite with the church then I do not know, 
but I do know that it was not through any doubt in 
his father's mind about the genuineness of his con- 
version. At family worship he frequently called on 
him to pray, and in time arranged it so that he took 
the lead one half of the time. In this way, and in 
many other ways he seemed to take him into partner- 
ship in bringing up the younger portion of the family. 
His father held the theory that in a large family the 
eldest son had a great influence for good or for evil 
over the other members of the family. When he saw 
that his eldest son's influence was on the right side, 
he did all that he could to increase that influence. 
Largely because of his views with regard to the 



32 A CONSECKATED LIFE. 

eldest sons influence, he was more anxious about 
John's conversion than about that of any other mem- 
ber of the family. 

In our home we had the greatest respect for our 
father's religion. We were sure that he would die for 
the truth of God if need be. My brother Patrick and 
myself, the only ones then old enough to understand, 
were therefore greatly astonished at the unmistakable 
evidence that our brother's type of piety was superior 
even to that of our father. We did not know that he 
was a chosen vessel ; we did not know that even then 
the great Head of the Church was fitting him for the 
work before him. It has been said that the final test 
of a man is his staying power. Without doubt this is 
also true of a man's religious zeal and enthusiasm. 
Judged by this test, his type of piety was of the high- 
est order, as his zeal and enthusiasm in his Master's 
work never flagged from the day that he offered up 
his first public prayer in the school room at Easkey 
to the day that he had the fatal fall from the ship 
Bramble. During all that time he was zealous for 
the Master and active in his work. More than any 
other man that I have ever known, he was " always 
abounding in the work of the Lord." But he was no 
zealot. The service of Christ was to him the most 
reasonable thing in the world. In his religious con- 
versations he used his natural tone of voice, which 
doubtless aided in making those conversations inter- 
esting. His type of piety was of the cheerful kind, 
but never, for one moment, w&s it tinged with friv- 
olity. " The joy of the Lord " was " the feast of the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 33 

soul" to him while here below, as it is now in the 

presence of his Saviour. Such a type of piety was 
in itself a powerful witness to the truth, and to the 
power of the Christian religion. The Rev. Mr, 
Stoddard says : " A lawyer who had known our 
brother for more than twenty years, said to a 
friend not many days before his death: 'I am not 
troubled by the new theology, or the higher criticism. 
I want no better evidence of the truth of the Bible, 
and the genuineness of the Christian religion than 
the daily life of John Sheridan.' " 

From what has been said about my father's regard 
for the Lord's Day, it may be inferred that our home 
was what some men sneeringly call " Puritanical." 
For my own part I do not believe that the homes of 
the Puritans were either gloomy or dreary. But how- 
ever this may have been, I am sure that our home was 
not. My father was passionately fond of music ; he 
played the flute and clarionet well, and the violin fairly 
well. Indeed he could play on several instruments. It 
was a mystery to some of our neighbors that the "fid- 
dle " should be played in a home where there were 
neither dancers nor dancing. He taught his boys to 
play the flute, and insisted on their playing by note, 
and they were at liberty to play any tunes they pleased 
except on Sunday. He was so far removed from stern- 
ness in home government that some of his neighbors 
believed he was spoiling his children because he did. 
not keep them at as great a distance as they kept 
theirs. He had a sister-in-law, his brother James' wife,, 
who always defended him if, in her presence, any one 



34 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

spoke in terms of condemnation of his love of his 
children. She would say : " He loved my children 
before he had any of his own ; it would indeed be a 
strange thing if a man who is noted for his love of 
other peoples' children would not love his own." 

John Sheridan was known in Brooklyn as "the 
children's friend/' and such he was, not for the sake 
of gaining the good will of their mothers, but for their 
own sake. It will be seen that his love for children 
was an inheritance. That it contributed largely, and 
in many ways towards his success, there can be no 
doubt. This was especially true in his later years, as 
it helped to keep his heart young. It is a remarkable 
fact that he never lost his hold on young people, 
or on children. To the very last they loved his 
society. 

The Bible had the place of honor in the home. We 
were encouraged to commit large portions of it to 
memory ; and yet it was by no means the only book in 
the home. Every possible effort was exerted to provide 
healthful reading matter, both religious and secular ; 
in fact the people of that community looked to our 
home for the latest news. Men and women of piety 
and culture, representatives of the various evangelical 
denominations, were welcome and honored visitors, 
but they were not the only persons of intelligence 
who called there. Undoubtedly those men and women 
of piety were made a blessing to the young people of 
that home, but the presence of the others was exceed- 
ingly helpful. Men who loved to quote Shakspeare, 
and Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Burns, and Moore were 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 35 

frequent visitors. To associate with such was in itself 
an education. 

But another, and an entirely different class of per- 
sons visited that home, whose presence there had very 
much to do in fitting the future City Missionary for 
his life-work. His father was the letter writer for 
those of the community who were unable to write, 
and such formed a very large proportion of the popu- 
lation in those days. As he never charged a cent for 
his services, he had an extensive patronage. Fre- 
quently he supplied the paper on which the letters 
were written, and when he put the letters in envelopes 
those for whom he wrote were delighted as each saw 
his or her letter go into " a little pocket." It was 
generally believed that, as a letter writer, he was 
" lucky," and so it quite frequently happened that 
mothers who had children in America came to him 
from quite a distance with the hope, even the expec- 
tation that letters written by him would bring the 
needed help. His "luck "is easily explained. The 
young people in America knew who it was that wrote 
the letters for their parents, and they were quite cer- 
tain that he would not speak of sickness or of extreme 
poverty if such did not exist. Hence their prompt- 
ness in sending money to their parents in distress. 
Many sad tales were heard by members of the family 
as the honest and deserving poor called for counsel 
or for help, and when those who were in trouble left, 
words of sympathy for such were spoken. Without 
doubt this aided most decidedly in the good work of 
developing in the heart of the future City Missionary 



36 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

that tender regard for the poor that made him so* 
helpful in times of trouble. It is not difficult to un- 
derstand how one brought up as he was could be in a 
preeminent sense " the friend of the poor." 

It was usual for those who received letters from 
America to call at his early home to have them read. 
It frequently happened that in those letters the 
young women would tell of the kindness of the ladies 
by whom they were employed. When such expres- 
sions were read, the apron would be raised to the 
mother's eyes, and with deep emotion she would say, 
14 May God be good to the kind lady who is good to 
my girl in a strange land." No one could convince 
him that gratitude had no existence, as the manifesta- 
tions of gratitude witnessed by him in early life were 
never forgotten. 

Sometimes an almost broken-hearted mother would 
come to our home, and, with sobs and sighs, would 
say: "My boy went to the fair, and hasn't got back 
— I'm af eared it's kilt he is; the neighbors say he 
'listed. An' sure they all say, you can find out where 
he is if he isn't kilt." 

A letter would then be written without delay to the 
War office, and the whereabouts of the " boy " would 
be revealed. It is quite remarkable that such young 
men invariably enlisted under their own names. I 
■ do not recall a single instance where a fictitious name 
was given. 

Another kind of letter-writing must not be omit- 
ted. When, through some misfortune, a man was 
unable to pay his rent, he would call at our home and 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 37 

tell his sad story. A letter was then written to either 
the landlord or the agent, sometimes in the name of 
the tenant, sometimes in the name of the writer of 
the letter. As he was punctual in the payment of 
his own rent, his intercession for others was respected, 
and so the tenant in distress was usually allowed to 
go for the time being without paying his rent. I 
think it is safe to say that this was always the case 
when the landlord lived near by. When hard things 
w r ere said about landlords in my father's presence, he 
would say: " They are no worse than we would be if 
we were in their place; many of them are kind-hearted 
men; but the landlord system is bad." It was his 
opinion that absenteeism was largely to blame for the 
conflicts between landlords and tenants. 

It was the cause of great joy to my father, in his 
old age, that his work as letter writer was no longer 
needed by a majority of the people. Through the 
influence of the national schools most of the young 
people were able to write letters for themselves and 
for their parents. He loved Ireland and the Irish 
race. Every advance made in his native land added 
to his happiness. 

The religious discussions held at our home must not 
be left unreported, as they had much to do in fitting 
the Brooklyn city missionary for work among Roman 
Catholics. No one in our village, who belonged to 
the Church of Rome, would think of entering into a 
discussion with my father. Their opinion of his 
ability as a controversialist was so high as to prevent 
them from doing so. But at times some of them 



38 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

would secure the services of a champion of the 
Church of Rome, who lived in some other commun- 
ity. Usually the coming event was talked about for 
several days before it occurred. On the evening of 
the discussion, the house was sure to be filled. It is 
said that the Irish love to fight with the shelala. 
Such a fight I have never witnessed, but I can testify 
that they enjoy intellectual battles immensely, more 
especially when such conflicts are theological. When 
such a discussion came off at our home, it was a great 
time for the villagers. During the discussion the 
attitude of the listeners was most respectful. Fair 
play for both sides was the rule, nor do I remember 
an instance when this rule was disregarded. Local 
pride quite frequently proved stronger than religious 
prejudice, and so Roman Catholics, as well as Protest- 
ants, would afterwards declare that their neighbor was 
the abler man, but would sometimes add that it was 
a pity he was not on their side. Although they heard 
him speak in strong terms against their Church, as a 
system of tyranny, they knew that as a neighbor he 
was ever ready to befriend them to the extent of his 
ability. Of this they had no doubt. The Roman 
system he looked upon as a crushing power. To deny 
men the right to think for themselves, he looked upon 
as a crime against humanity. But no one ever heard 
him say an unkind word about Roman Catholics, as 
such. When "political Protestants " would speak 
harshly in his presence about the "papists," he would 
say: "Do not talk against them; speak as severely 
as you please about the system that enslaves them, 






A CONSECKATED LIFE. 39 

but speak kindly of them. Many of them are better 
than their religion, whilst you are not as good as 
yours," 

Usually the discussions referred to continued until 
late in the evening. When it happened so, the 
Roman Catholic champion was invited to remain 
until morning. When the invitation was accepted, 
there was not a controversial word uttered the next 
morning. If the guest loved poetry, they talked 
about the poets. If he was interested in history, then 
they talked about the days that were gone. Whatever 
the guest was especially interested in, that w T as the 
subject of conversation. Notwithstanding the con- 
flict of the night before, they separated as fast friends 
and remained such while life lasted. 

Were these champions led to renounce the errors 
of the Church of Rome? Most of them remained 
"of the same opinion still/' but not all. Some after- 
wards became Protestants. When my father was well 
on to seventy years of age, a young man went to his 
home for controversial purposes. They argued until 
one o'clock in the morning. The young man became 
the guest of the family. When he left that home, 
his faith in the " infallible Church ? ' was shaken. He 
is now a business man in New York city, and a mem- 
ber of a Presbyterian church. 

My object, however, in speaking of those times of 
controversial conflicts, is to let my readers see how 
John Sheridan became so familiar with the errors of 
the Romish system, and with the portions of Scripture 
that condemn a church that adheres to such erroneous 



40 A GONSECKATED LIFE. 

views. The young people of the family were always 
allowed to be present during these discussions. The 
consequence was that the boys of that home could 
turn to every passage in the Bible that was used 
against Rome, nor did they need the aid of a Con- 
cordance, and this they could do before they were mid- 
way in their teens. Those who knew my brother 
John, intimately, need not be told that he feared no 
man in controversy when Romanism was the subject, 
although his spirit was not controversial. 

Controversy did not always accompany religious 
conversation in the home of his boyhood. That was 
the exception, and not the rule. Those who came 
there with their tales of sorrow, when the burdens of 
life pressed heavily upon them, were tenderly spoken 
to about a sympathizing Saviour. At such times, not 
a word was said about protestantism or Catholicism. 

I have never known of another village like "the 
town of the preachers/' nor have I ever known of 
such another home as that in which John Sheridan 
grew up into manhood. Men and women called at 
this home and were received on terms of friendship, 
who were widely different in religious belief, in social 
position, and in degrees of culture. It was there that 
he learned how he could be " the friend of all." It 
was there that he learned the much more difficult 
lesson so to impress himself upon all with whom he 
came in contact as to convince them that he was their 
friend; nor is this ever done by declarations of friend- 
ship. This kind of work is done by impressions and 
not by assertions. All through life he spoke with 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 41 

gratitude of his father's influence over him, whilst 
his father never ceased to thank God for having given 
him such a son. When in his eighty-second year, he 
wrote to him as follows: 

"Many a year has elapsed since I began to pray 
that you might not die before me. There was a time 
when you were very sick, I believed then that if you 
would die I could not survive the shock. I thank God 
that he heard my prayer, and spared your life " 

The bond of union between father and son was 
very strong, nor was there a member of the family 
who did not believe that their father's admiration for 
their eldest brother was the just recognition of 
genuine worth. 

OurOromwellian ancestor was a Protestant when 
he became veterinary surgeon to one of Cromwell's 
cavalry regiments. Doubtless, he then belonged to 
the Episcopal Church. In the army he was hrought 
in contact with English and Welsh Baptists, adopted 
their views, and became a Baptist preacher, although 
he never served as pastor. Such is one of the tradi- 
tions handed down. Later on, through mixed mar- 
riages, the family became mildly Roman Catholic. I 
use the modifying word mildly, as it was a common 
saying that " no Sheridan was ever known to be much 
ef a Catholic." This, of course, had reference to the 
Sheridans ©f that community. My grandfather mar- 
ried Eleanor Carter, whose father was a Protestant, 
and of English descent. Her mother belonged to an 
old Irish family, and was a Eoman Catholic. Henry, 
the only son in the family, was brought up a Pro- 



42 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

testant, whilst Eleanor, the only daughter who lived 
to womanhood, went with her mother. Her Pro- 
testant associations had a great influence over her 
through life. She neither would nor could believe in 
the absurd notion that no one could be saved unless 
he submitted to the claims of the Pope of Rome. 
She was more than willing that her sons might min- 
gle with Protestants in a social way, nor did she ever 
say a word against their attendance at Protestant 
meetings. And yet she was quite religious in her 
way. Her husband lost his life through the rebellion 
of 1798, although he did not enlist in either army. 
She was left a widow with six children, four sons and 
two daughters. Her eldest son, John, was in his 
eighteenth year. My father, Patrick, next to the 
youngest, was a little over five years when left father- 
less. She succeeded in keeping her family together, 
and gave them a good common school education, no 
small matter at a time when free schools were unknown 
in that part of Ireland. My father had some know- 
ledge of Latin, and had a very good English and 
Gaelic education. His mother's early association with 
Protestants had much to do with her love of educa- 
tion, and the English traditions in her father's family 
caused her to look upon rebellion against British 
authority as unwise in the extreme. At the same 
time, she believed that Ireland should have equal 
rights with England. Her youngest son, Hugh, left 
Ireland for America in early manhood. The others 
settled in their native place. They were lovers of 
God's Word, and now sleep in the Protestant cemetery 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 43 

of their native parish. My father was decidedly the 
most outspoken in exposing the tyranny of the priests 
and the errors of the Church of Rome, but his 
brothers were in full sympathy with him. He was 
converted in early life through the reading of the 
Bible. His love for that blessed Book was therefore 
very great. 

Although he was always outspoken religiously and 
politically, he might go anywhere and everywhere 
without fear. In politics he was a conservative, but 
like many conservatives in Ireland, he held some 
views that really belonged to the liberal party. 
Strange as it may seem, he had a good deal of sym- 
pathy with Fenianism, because of its good work in 
educating the people to think for themselves without 
priestly dictation. He would say, " If the people 
think for themselves politically now, they will think 
for themselves in religious matters by-and-by." In 
1868 there was an exciting election. The number of 
voters was comparatively small, as there wa3 then a 
property qualification. The non-voters in the Easkey 
district appeared at the polls in great numbers, and 
were determined to make their influence felt through 
intimidation. Unfortunately the parties were spoken 
of as Protestant and Catholic. Word went around 
that the first man who would vote for the Protestant 
candidate would receive bodily harm. Not a Pro- 
testant voted until my father made his appearance. 
He was told of the state of things, and was requested 
to vote first, the remark being made, "No one will 
hurt you." His answer was, " I have come to vote 



44 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 

and the sooner I get through with it the better." As 
he made his way towards the voting place, he was 
treated with marked respect. No blood was shed that 
day, and all voted according to their convictions. 
Neither he nor his son, John, ever carried any weapon 
except the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of 
God. Both very frequently gave expression to un- 
popular views, yet not a hostile hand wa3 ever laid 
upon either of them. 

A short time before his death, he requested a mem- 
ber of the family to read his favorite Psalm, the 
ninety-first. He then said, " That is what God has 
done for me; His Truth has been my shield and buck- 
ler; He has given me a long life and has shown me 
His salvation; I am satisfied; I am now ready to 
depart and be with Christ, which is far better." 

He died June 25, 1877, aged 84 years, 3 months and 
2 days. The whole community for miles around 
attended his funeral — the rich and the poor, Pro- 
testants and Roman Catholics; and in Ireland no 
higher tribute of respect can be given to the dead 
than a largely attended funeral. 






CHAPTER III. 

MANIFESTATIONS OF THE NEW LIFE. 

" Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as 
in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it 
is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good 
pleasure."— Phil. ii. 12, 13. 

"OST powerfully did the Holy Spirit work in 
John Sheridan, as he was entering into man- 
hood, and most faithfully did the youthful believer 
work out what God was working in him. He began 
with his young associates, a majority of whom were 
Roman Catholics. Whether Protestant or Roman 
Catholics, all listened to him with respect, and some 
of them became deeply interested. Through the con- 
fessional, that powerful engine of tyranny, the parish 
priest learned about this state of things, and resolved 
that he would put a stop to it. One day as the active 
young Christian was passing by his house, he called 
him to the door, but did not invite him in. " Young 
man/' said he, " I have learned that you are poisoning 
the minds of many young men with your heretical 
views. Now, I demand that after this you shall let 
my young men alone, and confine your work to Pro- 
testants." The answer to this demand was given in 
the words of Acts iv. 19, 20: u Whether it be right in 
the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto 
God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things 



46 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 

that we have seen and heard." In many respects 
that priest was a kind-hearted man, but he was sub- 
ject to fits of passion. To have " Saint Peter " quoted 
against him was more than he could bear with any 
degree of meekness. In fact, it threw him into a 
rage. And so. in angry tones, he told the young man 
that he would turn every Roman Catholic in the com- 
munity against him, so that none of them would speak 
to him, or even look at him. The answer to this fierce 
threat was given in the words of our Lord, as recorded 
in Matthew v. 10, 11, 12: " Blessed are they which 
are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall 
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all man- 
ner of evil against you falsely, for my sake, Rejoice 
and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in 
heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which 
were before you." 

This was repeated in a respectful, gentlemanly way, 
yet the priest slammed the door in his face, and re- 
tired in great anger. The word " Boycott " was then 
unknown, but boycotting was not, and that was what 
the priest threatened. Was young Sheridan boy- 
cotted? No, nor was any member of the family to 
which he belonged ever treated in that way. Socially, 
his father was on good terms with that priest, yet the 
latter would sometimes advise his people not to talk 
to him. Some of them would say, ".If he does not 
want us to talk to him, why does he talk to him?" 
Others would say, " When we are in trouble, Mr. 
Sheridan is the one that we go to — we will not, there- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 47 

fore, turn our backs upon him at other times," And 
they did not, nor did they on his son John. 

His work among his young friends was not in vain. 
During one of his visits to the old home, while work- 
ing as a missionary in West Connaught, he learned 
that one of the young men referred to was very sick, 
and wanted to see him. He called, and found his 
friend very near to the gates of death. Said the sick 
young man, " I am so glad to see you, as I want to 
tell you that the Saviour is very precious to me. 
Don't you remember how you used to talk to me 
about the blessed Saviour, as we used to sit together 
on the beach. You told me that he was the true 
Pbiest, and that we did not need any other. And 
you told me how he died for sinners, and that his 
blood is able to cleanse from all sin, My trust is in 
him. I do not want any other priest. My mother 
would have her priest call, but I v^ant to tell you, in 
her presence, and in my father's presence, that the 
Lord Jesus Christ is my Priest. I trust in him with 
all my heart, and am not afraid to die." Loving 
words were spoken in reply, and prayer was offered. 
As the young missionary was leaving, the father and 
mother, both Roman Catholics, said : " God bless you, 
John ; call again/ 5 He called the next morning, but 
his young friend was gone. He was "absent from 
the body and present with the Lord." So far as he 
knew, that young man was the first person led to the 
Saviour through his instrumentality. To the last, he 
would speak of him with great tenderness, for he 
loved him as a friend. 



48 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

A door of usefulness was open to him in the fol- 
lowing manner : When quite young, his father taught 
him to read the Gaelic language. The Gaelic was not 
used at our home when the members of the family 
spoke to each other, as the second mother did not 
understand it And yet it was often spoken there by 
some of the men and women who called to have letters 
written for them. John had, therefore, a fair know- 
ledge of the language, but it is doubtful if he ever 
used it in conversation up to the time of his conver- 
sion. However, he only needed practice in using it, 
and this he obtained by visiting homes where it was 
spoken, and by reading portions of God's Word in 
that language. At that time there were many homes 
outside the village where both languages were spoken, 
but where the old was the best beloved. With such, the 
knowledge of the Bible was extremely limited. So 
the zealous young Christian read to them in that 
language, from the New Testament, and to the delight 
of many. " Why, John, where did you get that 
blessed little book?" was a question that was fre- 
quently asked, as he read from his pocket New Tes- 
tament. There was a belief among the simple- 
minded that Satan never learned that holy language, 
and so they listened without prejudice when the de- 
voted young Christian read to them. There is no 
doubt but he was the means of doing much good in 
this way. Although he could find time for this kind 
of work, he was busily engaged on his father's farm. 
The Irish Society, organized in 1818, for the pur- 
pose of teaching the people to read the Bible in the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 49 

anoient language of the country, was the first to 
employ him in religious work, It was and is a Union 
society, but its supporters in those days were largely 
evangelical Episcopalians. As an employe of that 
society, he was brought in contact with pious men of 
that denomination, who urged him to study for the 
ministry of their church. Nor was this done through 
anything that bordered on a proselyting spirit, but 
because they supposed that a wider field of usefulness 
would open to him in that church than he could 
expect among the Baptists, in Ireland. To the last 
he had a warm place in his heart for the Irish Society, 
and kept himself informed about its work in his 
native land. 

In the sketch of his life, published in the Mission 
Journal, he says: " Notwithstanding my love of 
religious literature and my early love for missions, I 
did not make a public profession of faith in Christ 
until May 1, 1846, when I united with a small Baptist 
Church, at Easkey, of which my father had been a 
member for many years. Previous to my baptism, 
my zeal led some of my friends to urge me to study 
for the ministry. My heart turned to the foreign 
field, but it was not God's will to send me to India, 
as I ardently desired." 

He did not unite with the Church until the time 
named, but he was active as a Christian before he was 
baptized. 

Very soon after he united with the Church, he 
offered himself to the English Baptist Missionary 
Society, with the expressed desire that he might be 



50 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

sent to India. Arrangements were made to have him 
attend one of the Baptist colleges in England; but in 
ways that seemed mysterious, the plans thus formed 
were thwarted. It looked as if every door of useful- 
ness, in his own denomination, was closed against 
him. It was a trying time in his experience. All 
through life his countenance would grow sad when- 
ever he alluded to it. For my own part, I believe 
that the hindrances thrown in his way, though de- 
cidedly human, were permitted by an all-wise Prov- 
idence. He would, doubtless, have made a devoted 
foreign missionary, but his early training fitted him 
in a special manner for mission work in cities. He 
was led in a way that he knew not, and without doubt 
he was led in the right way. The Lord knows what 
is best for his servants. 

In the sketch of his life alluded to, we read: "The 
memorable famine of 1846-1847, prepared the way 
for evangelistic efforts in the extreme west of Ireland, 
where the Gaelic language was spoken almost exclu- 
sively outside of the towns and villages. As it was 
hard to find a native agency," that is, men who could 
talk in the native language, "and as no other door 
seemed open for me, I yielded to the entreaty of 
Christian brethren, and entered the work in Septem- 
ber, 1848." 

During the terrible famine alluded to, a very large 
proportion of the Protestants who lived where the 
famine was most grievous, did all that was in their 
power to keep the destitute from starving. I believe 
it would be within the bounds of truth to say that all 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 51 

the Protestant ministers, who lived in the more sorely 
afflicted districts of their native land, exerted them- 
selves to the utmost of their ability in the Christ-like 
work of caring for those who were ready to perish, 
without regard to the religious opinions of those who 
were in need of help. As a matter of fact, the over- 
whelming majority of those who were aided belonged 
to the Roman Catholic Church, many of whom were 
led to believe that the Protestant religion could not 
be a bad religion, notwithstanding the tirades of their 
priests against it. As it was through the benevolence 
of Protestants, ministers included, that many of them 
were saved from starvation, quite naturally, a spirit 
of enquiry was awakened that was most favorable to 
evangelical efforts. Outside of the larger towns at 
the west and south, with rare exceptions, clergymen 
of the then Established Church, the Episcopal, were 
the only Protestant ministers. They belonged to the 
evangelical school. The followers of Doctor Pusey 
would be sadly out of place in Roman Catholic com- 
munities, unless they would follow the example of 
John Henry Newman, and go where they really 
belonged. The evangelical ministers alluded to and 
many pious men and women in their churches, became 
intensely interested in those who expressed a desire 
to learn about the religion of the Bible, but a very 
great difficulty presented itself. The enquirers were 
mostly a Gaelic speaking people, whilst but few Pro- 
testant ministers could speak that language. Hence 
the call for lay missionaries, who could use both the 
English and the Gaelic. As the number of suitable 



52 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

men in the Episcopal Church was not equal to the 
demand, " Dissenters," so-called, were employed with- 
out being required to unite with the Establishment. 
It was with this understanding that John Sheridan 
became a worker in a great movement that evangelical 
Episcopalians had the honor of leading. 

As might have been expected, the movement was 
bitterly opposed by the Roman Catholic clergy and 
by those under their influence. Bitter, lying reports 
w T ere put in circulation about the noble, unselfish men 
and women who had been the " Good Samaritans " of 
the communities in which they lived. Their motives 
were impugned. They were charged with bribing the 
people to leave the Church of Rome, a charge that 
was utterly false. The aid given by them to those 
that were ready te perish was given from pure 
benevolence. 

John Sheridan was sent to Castle Kirke, in the 
county Galway. After having been there a short 
time, he was sent to Kilmilkin, in the same county. 
While laboring in Oonnemara, he met with great suc- 
cess. Without doubt, many there were brought into 
the light and liberty of the Gospel through his instru- 
mentality. His work there was almost exclusively 
among a Gaelic speaking people. To this he alludes 
in the following manner: 

" When my father commenced to teach me to read 
the Gaelic language, I was not aware that he desired 
more than my conversion. He had prayed that God 
would call me into his work. Without a knowledge 
of that language I would have been of no use in the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 53 

counties of Galway and Mayo. The Gaelic gutturals 
have helped me in the pronunciation of German, 
while my knowledge of the ancient language of my 
native land has helped me, even in this country, to a 
greater extent than might be supposed." 

It was while he was in west Connaught that " prac- 
tice made perfect" in the use of that language; and 
there he learned to love it because of its preeminence 
as a language of the heart. And he learned to love 
the Gaelic speaking people among whom he labored, 
and they loved him in return, It is an interesting 
fact that some men who knew him in Galway and 
Mayo, were present at his funeral, and were among 
those who mourned as if a hrother had been taken 
from them. 

He believed most firmly that he was led through 
life by a kind Providence, and certainly he had good 
reasons for cherishing this belief. When he first left 
his father's house, he was placed under the superin- 
tendence of a truly evangelical minister, who became 
warmly attached to him, and who aided him in many 
ways. Especially was he helpful to him in his studies. 
In speaking of the first friend that the Lord raised 
up for him after he went out from the old home, he 
would say, "he encouraged me in every possible man- 
ner." All through life he was brought into close con- 
tact with educated and able men of God, who felt 
honored in honoring him. TheKev. John O'Callaghan, 
his superintendent, when he began his work, placed 
the utmost confidence in his ability as well as in his 
piety, and this was of great importance to a young 



54 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

man who underestimated his own ability. Through 
Mr. O'Callaghan's recommendation, he was sent, in 
the latter part of 1849, to open the work in Tourma- 
kaday and Cappaduff, in the county of Mayo, under 
the patronage of the Honorable Catherine Piunket, a 
daughter of the first Lord Piunket, one of Ireland's 
great men. Her brother, afterwards the second Lord 
Piunket, was the Protestant Bishop of Tuam, and had 
his " lodge," or summer residence at Tourmakady, 
and her own summer residence was at Cappaduff. 
The members of the Piunket family have been as 
noted for their kindness of heart and for their love of 
Ireland, as they have been for great intellectual gifts. 
In having been placed under the influence of such a 
family, he was evidently led by a kind Providence. 

In January, 1846, the Rev. Alexander R. 0. Dallas, 
an evangelical minister of the Church of England, 
sent out 30,000 copies of " An Appeal," to as many 
Roman Catholic families in Ireland. Three years 
later, in 1849, through his instrumentality, the Society 
for Irish Church Missions was organized. The Hon- 
orable Miss Piunket became interested in the society. 
There were no national schools at either Tourmakady 
or Cappaduff then, although they existed in other 
parts of Ireland. She saw in the new society an 
agency that would be helpful to her tenants and to 
others in that part of Ireland, and so she applied for 
a lay missionary and a school teacher, agreeing to 
meet a great part of the expense. During the famine 
she was very helpful to the people, and was greatly 
beloved by them. In her labors of love she was en- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 55 

couraged and aided by her brother, the Bishop of 
Tuam, and by other noble members of that truly 
noble family. John Sheridan was sent as the lay 
missionary, and Callaghan McCarthy as the school 
teacher. Mr. McCarthy afterwards became a clergy- 
man of the then united Church of England and Ireland. 
Miss Plunket had a house erected for the missionary 
and teacher, but it was not quite ready for occupancy 
when they arrived. They were therefore compelled 
to board with a Eoman Catholic family. Affairs went 
on smoothly until the parish priest heard about the 
way that "the heretics were harbored." He de- 
nounced the family "from the altar/ 5 demanded that 
the heretics should be turned out of doors and that 
the bed on which they slept should be burned. When 
their landlady returned home from her church, she 
told them about the denunciation and the demands, 
and then added, " I believe that you are better than 
he, and it is with regret that our family part with 
you; but if we should attempt to defy the priest, 
nobody would speak to us." Roman Catholic priests 
knew how to boycott those who refused to obey them 
long before Captain Boycott became famous, or before 
he was born, for that matter. Protestants were few 
and no member of the Plunket family was near at 
that time of the year, and so the young men had to 
sleep on plank beds for two or three nights, in the 
unfinished building that was to be their home. But 
they were young and zealous, and were ready to en- 
dure hardness as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 



56 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

But what about the bed that the priest said must 
be burned? Well, it was not burned. The idea of 
a good Irish housekeeper burning a feather bed! 
She simply declared that it would not be burned, and 
in coming to this decision, she had the sympathy of 
the neighboring women. However, they advised her 
to sprinkle it with holy water, and thus appease the 
wrath of the priest. 



CHAPTER IV, 

TOUBMAKADY AND CAPPADUEF. 

"FN spite of all opposition, the work at Tourmakady 
- 1 - and Cappaduff prospered. In time, additional 
schools were opened, other lay missionaries were em- 
ployed, a house of worship was built, and a " clerical 
missionary " was placed in charge of the new church, 
the Rev. Hamilton Townsend, known in later life as 
the Dean of Achonry, in the county Sligo. The fact 
that all the members of the Plunket family became 
intensely interested in the movement is in itself suf- 
ficient evidence that it was carried on in an honorable 
manner. No one has ever breathed Irish air who 
could be more honorable than were the members of 
that family. Reports of the work were circulated far 
and near, and the first missionary on the field was held 
in high esteem. Notwithstanding the inroads made 
on the Church of Rome, he had the good will of most 
of the Roman Catholics in that large district, many 
of whom expressed sincere regret when he decided to 
leave for America. He became greatly attached to his 
fellow-laborers, and continued to love them to the end 
of life. To those who were brought out from the 
darkness of Rome, through his instrumentality, he 
was bound by the strong chords of affection. For 
the Plunket family, he cherished feelings of admira- 
tion. He had, indeed, good reasons for admiring 



58 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

them. But for all this, he felt out of place. He was 
a Baptist, and yearned for a closer fellowship with 
Baptists. It was hard for him to separate himself 
from such friends and from a work in which the Lord 
was blessing him, and so he remained longer in the 
work than he expected when he first entered upon it. 

The Rev. Alexander R. C. Dallas, the originator of 
the Society for Irish Church Missions, was a man of 
the most ardent piety. He, of course, belonged to 
the ovangelical school. His prayer through life was, 
" O God, for Christ's sake, give me thy Holy Spirit/' 
As a consequence, he enjoyed the presence and power 
of the Holy Spirit, in large measure. When I read 
of the strange progress that ritualism is making in 
the Church of England, I wonder if that Church will 
ever produce another Mr. Dallas. 

Mr. Dallas became greatly interested in the young 
missionary at Tourmakady. He frequently wrote to 
him, and always desired to see him when he visited 
either Galway or Mayo. The following letter gives a 
good idea of his interest in the work and in the 
worker at Tourmakady : 

44 Wonston Rectory, Andover Road, 4 June, 1851. 
" Dear Sheridan— 

'• I have thought very much about you, 
and have been much comforted to hear of the en- 
couragement which may be drawn from the work you 
are carrying on, both from evidence of success and 
from the tokens for good which may be found in the 
violent persecution of those who oppose themselves 
to the work af God. I hear from Miss Plunket of 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 59 

the progress of the work, and rejoice to find that it 
proceeds so well. 

" It is my intention, if God permit, to be in Con- 
nemara next week. I propose to be in Oughterard 
on Thursday, the 12 e I wish you would come and 
meet me there. If Miss Plunket is at Tourmakady, 
ask her whether you can be spared. If not, I will 
afterwards arrange with her. 

"Commending you to the mercy and blessing of 
God, I remain, 

"Your true friend, 

"Alex. K. 0. Dallas." 

While he remained in the work Mr. Dallas con- 
tinued his special interest in him. All who knew 
about his work recognized it as successful, and many 
of them protested against his leaving it. A clergy- 
man, with whom he was intimately acquainted, wrote: 

"I have read with much bitterness, in Mr. Towns- 
end's letter, * Mr. Sheridan is going to America.' Oh, 
can it be possible, in the present trying struggle, that 
you would now resign! I implore you again and 
again, in the name of God and of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, give up the idea of it." 

So many and so strong were the loving protests 
against his leaving, he certainly would have remained 
if consistency were not involved. 

His friend, the Rev. Mr. O'Caliaghan, wrote to him 
quite frequently during the years that he lived at 
Tourmakady, and his letters always contained en- 
couraging expressions. In a letter dated Novem- 
ber 18, 1851, he wrote: "I am myself persuaded that 



60 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

you are where God has work for you to do, but if ever 
you leave your present post, come to me and help me; 
I need not say how gladly I will receive you." In a 
letter not dated he said: " Yours is a particularly 
important post. May God enable you to act your 
part well, and I am sure he will. My prayers shall 
not be wanting on your behalf/' In still another 
letter he said: "I received your journal from his 
Lordship. He speaks of you in the kindest manner." 
In yet another letter, he said: "Your journals are 
admirable, always sensible and natural, and full of 
interesting matter. I thank God for the manner in 
which the bishop speaks of you/' " Your well- written 
letters" is an expression that he frequently used. 
Such language from the pen of such a scholarly man 
was exceedingly helpful. 

It would seem that Mr. ? Callaghan cherished the 
hope that he would sometime have him as a helper. 
In a letter dated "Oughterard Glebe, 25 April, 1853," 
he wrote as follows: 

"My Dear Sheridan. 

"I want you very much for a week to 
take a general survey of the Mission here, and say a 
word to your old friends. I am sure you will oblige 
me by your presence here for a few days. So come 
like a good man. I will not work you too hard. 
' 'Your sincere friend, 

"John O'Callaghan." 

By way of postscript he added — 

" Between ourselves, I want you at Castle Kirk as 
lay agent. You know, dear Sheridan, how much I 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 61 

value you, because I believe you to be a sincere 
Christian. You know you are in a manner bound to 
me, as you were sent to me first. I want you to have 
the care and superintendence of Castle Kirk, where 
they all respect you, and where God will make you 
useful. I have much to say to you; so come to me as 
soon as possible. Bern ember me to your father. 

u J. 0*0." 

The friends of the movement at Tourmakady and 
Cappaduff were not willing to give him up, and so he 
remained there until he left his native land. When 
about to leave, the following strongly worded and 
affectionate " testimonial '' was given him by Mr. 
O'Callaghan: 

"Oughterard Glebe, April 28, 1855. 

s< It is with the most sincere and heartfelt pleasure 
that I avail myself of this opportunity of bearing my 
humble testimony to the high Christian character of 
bearer, Mr, John Sheridan, whom I have known inti- 
mately for more than six years. He is by far the 
most pious, zealous and devoted Missionary that it 
has ever been my privilege to meet, His labors in 
bringing sinners to Christ have been unceasing, pray- 
erful, and to my knowledge most successful. From 
the entire reliance placed by several clergymen, as 
well as by the bishop, on his faithfulness, ability, 
wisdom and tact, he has always been sent to posts 
where the work has been most difficult and dangerous, 
and never did he disappoint the expectations of his 
friends, or fail to conciliate by meekness and forbear- 
ance his most inveterate opponents. 



62 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

"While I can testify that his Christianity is 
catholic, I am also aware that the only tie which has 
bound him to the Church of England has been the 
desire to turn sinners from darkness to light, and that 
he has always felt unhappy in not being placed in 
closer fellowship with the Baptist denomination . 

John O'Callaghan, 
u Incumbent of Kilcumin, Diocese of Tuam. r 

Among those who became greatly interested in the 
work of John Sheridan, at Tourmakady, was a young 
man of spotless character and of ardent piety, who 
afterwards honored an honored name as Lord Plunket 
Archbishop of Dublin. As the second Lord Plunket 
had no son, this yo ung man, Mr. William C. Plunket, was 
looked upon as the heir of his house. While a student, 
his vacations were largely spent among his relatives 
in beautiful, romantic west Connaught. His kindness 
of heart and his unassuming manner made him a 
great favorite with the humbler classes, as indeed he 
was with all classes. In this respect, the young man 
was "father" to the man of mature years. As all the 
members of the Plunket family were then most ardent 
supporters of mission work in west Connaught, it is 
not to be wondered at that such a young man should 
become especially interested in the young missionary 
who began that work at Tourmakady. He corres- 
ponded with him, and his letters give evidence of 
friendship towards the Missionary, as well as of in- 
terest in the movement. In a letter, without date, 
but evidently written while the future Archbishop was 
as yet a student, he said: 



a consecrated life. 63 

"My Dear Sheridan. 

" I feel ashamed at not having acknow- 
ledged your most interesting letter sooner, but the 
fact is, when it arrived I was very busy. I have been 
engaged with college and other employments. How- 
ever, yesterday I was reminded of it by a conversation 
which I was having with a friend about the west of 
Ireland, and when speaking of Tourmakady, I remem- 
bered your letter to me, and read it out to him. He 
and others to whom I have read it, were extremely 
interested with its contents — showing, as it does, the 
wonderful opening for the Gospel of Christ, which is 
now going on in that part of the country; an opening, 
too, which, from the absence of all inducements or 
means, except the Bible, shows its origin to be due to 
God alone. 

"I hope I shall he able to pay a visit to the west in 
about two months. I hope I may find you quite well 
and your work prospering. 

" Thanking you very much for all your trouble, and 
wishing you every blessing for time and for eternity, 
believe me to remain, 

" Your verv sincere friend, 

" William C. Plunket." 

In a letter dated November 11 (the year not given,), 
Mr. Plunket, as he was then, said: 

"I have been for some time intending to write to 
you, in order to ask you to send me some account of 
how matters have been going on at Tourmakady, since 
your last letter to me. I am sorry to give you addi- 
tional trouble knowing how busily you are engaged, 



64 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

but only do so in the hope of interesting others in the 
great reformation which is now going on in the west. 

"I shall particularly wish you to mention every fact 
which may refute the notion which is so general 
among those unacquainted with the work, namely, 
that the people come over from thoughtlessness, self- 
interest and bribery, with the hope of getting food, 
clothing, etc., in fact, everything but conviction." 

In still another letter, he said : 

u I need not say that I do not wish for anything 
bordering on exaggeration." 

No, he did not wish for anything that bordered on 
exaggeration. He was too noble-minded for that, nor 
would his correspondent exaggerate even if he desired 
it. All through life, he was so far from exaggerating, 
when speaking of his work, that he actually under- 
estimated the influence that he was exerting. 

The future Archbishop was in the habit of reading 
the letters received from the Tourmakady lay Mis- 
sionary to his many friends, some of whom were after- 
wards numbered among the warmest friends of Irish 
Church Missions. It is no wonder that the late Lord 
Plunket was a warm friend of the Reformed Church 
of Spain. 

My brother was interested in his career to the last. 
The Dean of Achonry sent him the Irish papers that 
contained the speeches and addresses of Lord Plunket, 
and after Dean Townsend's death, our brothers in 
Ireland were careful to send such papers. Those 
papers were invariably sent to me. Only two days 
before his fatal fall, he mailed me a paper that con- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE, 65 

tained a speech on educational interests, by Lord 
Plunket. Thus the last paper he ever sent me, 
gave evidence of his abiding love for a good man 
whom he learned to admire when both were young. 
When he visited Ireland, in 1877, he and Dean 
Townsend visited Tourmakady and other mission 
stations at the west. A report of this tour was sent 
to Lord Plunket, then Bishop of Meath, by the dean. 
In reply, Lord Plunket said: 

"I shall be very glad indeed to see Mr. Sheridan, 
and hope that he will dine and sleep. We can easily 
accommodate both himself and his boy. I have no 
doubt that he and you enjoyed your Oonnemara tour. 
It must have awakened many interesting memories, 
and I can only say that I should have been well 
pleased to have been one of the party. 

" Yours affectionately, 

" Plunket Heath." 

This was dated at Ardbraccan House, Navan, Sep-, 
tember 26, 1877. 

My American readers cannot appreciate the great 
kindness manifested in this letter. Here, Baptists 
are numerous and powerful. Here we have men of 
wealth and of culture. As a denomination, we take 
our place in the very front ranks. And besides, there- 
are not such differences here with regard to classes as; 
exists in the British Isles. My old country readers 
will see that an Episcopal Bishop and a peer of the 
realm who would send such a cordial invitation to a 
Baptist minister, must have been an uncommonly 
good man. He was, indeed, good in his greatness 



66 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

and great in his goodness. I never saw him, but 
having read many of his sermons and addresses, and 
having heard my brother speak most highly in his 
praise, I held him in high esteem. I honored him 
for his love of dear old Ireland; for his love of evan- 
gelical truth; for his beautiful Christian character, 
and for his undoubted ability. When I read in a 
Toledo evening.paper, on the first day of April, 1897, 
" Lord Plunket, Archbishop of Dublin, died in that 
city this morning," I felt very much as I do when I 
learn of the death of a dear friend, for I knew that 
"a prince and a great man had fallen in Israel," the 
Israel of evangelical Christianity of all denominations 
in my native land. 

The testimonials given to John Sheridan, when he 
was about to leave Ireland, are well worth preserving, 
as they give evidence that he was held in high esteem 
by the good and the great in the land of his birth. 
We have already seen that of the Rev. John O'Cal- 
laghan. who loved him dearly. Soon after they 
became acquainted, Mr. O'Callaghan gave him valu- 
able aid in his studies, and in time, offered to give 
him such instructions as would enable him to stand 
examinations at Trinity College, Dublin, with the 
view of entering the Episcopal ministry. We shall 
now see what the " Clerical Missionary," at Tourma- 
kady, thought of him and of his work. After Mr. 
Townsend's letter, we shall give testimonials from 
members of the noble Plunket family. 

11 Tourmakady, May 5, 1855. 

"I have known Mr. John Sheridan for nearly five 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 67 

years. I have always found him zealous, active and 
faithful in the discharge of his duties, and perfectly 
upright in all his actions. I regret much his leaving 
a post where the Lord has evidently blessed his 
labors, and especially as it will be difficult to fill his 
place. He departs with the good will of all, both 
Protestants and Koman Catholics, and I trust that in 
the land to which he is going the Lord of the Vine- 
yard will make him a blessing to many. I wish him 
every prosperity, and pray that the Lord will bless 
him for time and eternity, 

" Hamilton Townsend, 
" Rector of Ballyovia, Diocese of Tuam." 

The Rev. Mr. Townsend became the '* Clerical Mis- 
sionary " and Rector, when a congregation was 
gathered. A warm friendship sprang up between 
the missionaries, a friendship which naught but 
death could interfere with. They corresponded regu- 
larly with each other until the Dean of Achonry 
passed away. 

We have seen that when he went to Tourmakady, 
he was under the patronage of the Honorable Cathe- 
rine Plunket. The following is what she said of him 
when he was about to leave: 

"Oappaduff Cottage, 6th May, 1855. 

"I have known John Sheridan for five or six years. 
He has been during that time a most valuable acqui- 
sition to this place, and his loss here will be deeply 
felt by many. From his high principles, integrity 
and the good example that he has shown, he has been 
looked up to and respected by all classes. He has 



68 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

been kind and liberal to all in distress, and many- 
through his instrumentality have been brought to the 
knowledge of their Saviour. Knowing how very 
much his absence will be felt by the poor, Roman 
Catholics as well as Protestants, it is with great regret 
I now see him leave the country. 

"Cath'ne Plunket." 

To have a lady of Miss Plunket's position say that 
he was " looked up to and respected by all classes" 
was indeed a high testimonial. The marked respect 
shown him by the different members of the Plunket 
family, helped most decidedly to gain for him the 
respect of the community. By his gentle, kindly, 
unassuming manner, he won his way to the hearts of 
the people, and so he was beloved as well as respected. 

The following is from a daughter of the Bishop, a 
young lady who was very active in Christian work: 
u Tourmakady, 9th April, 1855. 

" I have known John Sheridan for five and a half 
years. I have great pleasure in giving this testimony 
of my esteem and high opinion of his character. He 
has worked with untiring zeal, kindness and faithful- 
ness to bring all persons who came within reach of 
his influence, to a knowledge of the saving truths of 
the Gospel, and while teaching others, his own con- 
duct and example have secured universal respect for 
j his character. His intended departure for America 
has caused me very great regret, a feeling that is 
shared by all the Protestants, and I am sure by a very 
great majority of the Roman Catholics of this place* 

" Katherine Plunket." 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 69 

The following is from Lord Plunket, Bishop of 
Tuam : 

" It gives me very great pleasure to certify my 
entire approval of the character and conduct of John 
Sheridan, who has been acting as First Scripture 
Reader in this parish and district for the last five 
years and a half. I cannot sufficiently praise the zeal, 
activity, perseverance, tact, kindness and good temper 
which he has uniformly evinced in his intercourse 
with all denominations. I believe he has earned the 
good will of all, and his removal from among them 
will be sincerely regretted. I believe him to be a 
pure-minded, zealous Missionary, and one whose sole 
object and desire is to win over souls to Christ. I have 
only to add my deep regret at his leaving this parish 
and country, which he does at his own particular 
desire. 

" Given under my hand and seal this 30th day of 
March, 1855. 

"Plunket Tuam." [Seal.] 

This is a remarkable letter to have been written by 
a Bishop of the then United Church of England and 
Ireland. He knew that the young man of whom he 
spoke so kindly, and even tenderly, was a Baptist. 
More yet, he knew that he was leaving his work and 
his native land so as to have a closer fellowship with 
the Baptists. No wonder that the Missionaries, or- 
dained and unordained, loved to speak of the second 
Lord Plunket as "the good Bishop." 

It is not to be forgotten that the Bishop of Tuam 
of those days, and all other friends of Irish Church 



70 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

Missions to Roman Catholics, who belonged to the 
Established Church, were Evangelical or Low Church 
Episcopalians, a vanishing party in the Anglican com- 
munion of the present time. 

The Dean of Tuam, brother to the Bishop, wrote 
as follows: 

" May 4, '55. 

"I learn that you wish for a testimonial from me, 
which I give most cheerfully. I only fear that I 
cannot sufficiently express the value of your services 
for the several years that you have labored at Cappa- 
duff and Tourmakady. They have fully realized the 
character given of you by those who knew you well 
before you went there, and it will be long, I fear, 
before your place can as well be filled again. Your 
knowledge of the Scriptures is only to be exceeded 
by the zeal and ability and kindness with which it 
has been uniformly imparted; and the regard and 
affection with which you are siDoken of by the people 
amongst whom you labored is the strongest testimony 
that can be given of your care and anxiety for their 
welfare, both temporal and spiritual. I regret deeply 
that you are leaving this country. I pray fervently 
that God may bless and protect you wherever you 
may go, and that a wider field may be opened to you 
for the promotion of his glory and the spread of his 
Word, which I believe "has been the grand object 
which has influenced you in all your labors. I shall 
be glad to hear of you and from you often. 

" Believe me to be always your sincere friend and 
well wisher. 



a consecrated life. 71 

"Robt. Plunket." 
Enclosed with the above was a letter directed to 
the Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., of New York, the 
bearer of which supposing thai it had reference solely 
to a business matter. As shall be seen further on, 
that letter was used of God in shaping the American 
career of the young man to whom it was intrusted, 
although he never imagined, while it was in his care, 
that it had anything to do with his future. The Dean 
was a devoted man of God, and was noted for his 
kindness of heart; but kindness was a characteristic 
of the Plunket family. Some members of the family 
had the goodness to write to the Missionary after he 
came to this country. In those letters, and in others 
written by prominent friends of Irish Church Mis- 
sions, we find such expressions as the following: 

"The Bishop, Lady Plunket, and the young ladies, 
send their kind remembrances." "Miss Plunket de- 
sires to be kindly remembered." "Mr. and Mrs. 
David Plunket send kind remembrances." The Hon- 
orable David Plunket was brother to the Bishop. 

The work done by the Irish Society, Irish Church 
Missions, and kindred societies, changed the lives of 
very many at the south and west of Ireland. It 
raised them in the social scale, to say nothing of the 
life to come. Those educated in mission schools were 
taught to think for themselves, and this helped pow- 
erfully towards raising them to a higher plane, And 
besides, the very nature of evangelical religion is to 
elevate. Many who were thus aided, emigrated — some 
to Australia, some to Canada, and very many to this 



72 A CONSECKATED LIFE. 

country. They or their children are now occupying 
positions for which they never could be fitted were it 
not for mission work done in Ireland. When John 
Sheridan labored as a Missionary, in Connemara, he 
was the means of getting a bright boy, about eleven 
years of age, to attend a mission school. That boy 
could not then speak one word of English, nor did 
he knew a letter in the alphabet of any language. 
Being a bright boy, he learned rapidly. He became 
a Protestant, and emigrated to this country. Here 
he attended school for some time, with the ministry 
in view, but afterwards entered into business. After 
he had been in America many years, he was passing 
through Toledo, on business. He stopped over, so 
that he might see a brother of the man w T hom he 
loved more than any other man then living. I intro- 
duced him to some of my friends, and afterwards 
gave them a sketch of his history. They were 
greatly astonished, as they supposed from his manner 
and accent that he was of American birth. That he 
represented very many who were elevated through 
mission work in Ireland, I have not the shadow of a 
doubt. I believe that the number of such has been 
very much larger than is supposed even by the mis- 
sionaries who are now laboring on those fields. 



CHAPTER V, 



COMES TO AMERICA, 



" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to 
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, 
and he shall direct thy paths." — Proverbs, iii. 5, 6. 

n^HE following is from the Brooklyn Mission 
Journal, February, 1897: 

"Coming to the United States, in May, 1855, I 
arranged to emigrate to Iowa, where a Baptist minis- 
ter, whom I had known in Ireland, had settled, and 
where he thought I could be useful among the new T 
settlers. My friends were confident that I would be 
disappointed, and w T ould soon return to the work in 
which I was so greatly blessed. One of them asked 
me to deliver a message to Doctor Tyng, of New 
York, who had been his guest when visiting Ireland 
two years before. The Prophet has said, ' it is not in 
man that walketh to direct his steps, 5 This call on 
Doctor Tyng gave the coloring to my whole after life, 
as it caused me to relinquish my plan of going to 
Iowa, and, instead, to take up evangelical work im- 
mediately in the township of Flushing, and in other 
parts of Queen's county, L. I. The noble Christian 
man who employed me is not there now, but I am 
thankful to say that he still lives to witness for the 
Saviour. I have very pleasant recollections of him, 
.and of his estimable wife." 

The Baptist Minister alluded to was the Kev. John 



74 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

Bates, then Pastor at Cascade, Iowa, afterwards Pastor 
at Woodstock, Ontario. The friend, whose message 
he delivered to Doctor Tyng, was the Honorable and 
Very Reverend Robert Plunket, Dean of Tuam. 
" The noble Christian," who supported him at Flush- 
ing, was Mr. Howard Osgood, now the Reverend 
Howard Osgood, D.D., LL,D. He did not suppose 
that there was anything said about himself in the 
letter that he delivered to Doctor Tyng, when, in fact, 
it was mainly about him. The kind hearted Dean 
said that any favor shown to John Sheridan, he would 
look upon as a favor shown to himself. He said in 
that letter that he looked upon it as a calamity for 
Ireland to lose such young men as the bearer. 

When Doctor Tyng read Dean Plunket's letter, he 
became greatly interested in the newly arrived emi- 
grant. A week or two before, Mr Osgood, as he was 
then, enquired of the Doctor if he knew of some man 
whom he could employ for a few months as a col- 
porteur or missionary. Doctor Tyng did not know, 
but the Lord knew, and was even then directing his 
steps towards the place where his labors were desired. 
As Doctor Tyng was about to write a letter of intro- 
duction to Mr. Osgood, the newly arrived Missionary 
said: *' Doctor, before you write that letter, I think 
I should tell you that I am a Baptist." He smiled, 
and said: " Dean Plunket tells me that, but he also 
tells me that your great aim is to lead sinners to 
Christ." As many of my readers know, the Rev. 
Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., was an evangelical clergyman 
in the Episcopal Church, and was a man of great 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 75 

power. Mr. and Mrs. Osgood, although they lived 
in Flushing, were members of his church. Mrs. 
Osgood's father was for more than thirty years a 
Church Warden with Doctor Tyng. 

Doctor Tyng was the first minister in America to 
befriend John Sheridan. He was not only the means 
of opening a door of usefulness for him, but also gave 
him good advice. He said, " Young man, your work 
will be in some large city, and not on the frontiers. 
By the time you get through with Mr. Osgood, you 
will be acquainted with some of your Baptist brethren, 
and they will doubtless find a place for you in New 
York or Brooklyn." 

That the Lord directed him to Flushing, he never 
had a doubt. Doctor Osgood soon became a warm 
friend. The friendship that grew up between them 
in those early days never lost its ardor, no, not 
for one moment. Doctor Osgood always took plea- 
sure in saying kind things about John Sheridan, 
whilst the latter called his second son Howard 
Osgood, and always spoke of his first close, personal 
friend in America with affection. Nor did he ever 
cease to feel grateful towards Doctor Tyng for his 
kindness. 

A short time before he began his work in Flushing, 
Doctor Osgood read the life of the great Missionary 
Judson, written by the gifted Doctor Wayland. This 
caused him to think about Baptism. When he turned 
to his Greek Testament, he saw that it favored the 
Baptists. Instead, therefore, of John Sheridan's 
Baptist views being against him in his intercourse 



75 A CONSECRATED LIFS^ 

with the pious young man who employed him, they 
proved to be in his favor. When Doctor Osgood 
offered himself for baptism, to the Oliver Street 
Baptist Church, New York, now the Baptist Church 
of the Epiphany, John Sheridan was the only Baptist 
in ail the land with whom he was personally ac- 
quainted. His friends, most of whom were evangeli- 
cal Episcopalians, believed that he had made the 
mistake of his life in uniting with the Baptists. The 
mistake was on their side, not on his. During the 
past forty years, Ritualism has made fearful strides 
in the Protestant Episcopal Church of America, 
whilst the evangelical element, then powerful, has 
almost wholly disappeared. Doctor Osgood, with his 
warm, evangelical views, would feel lonesome in the 
Episcopal Church of to-day. He has no such feeling 
among the Baptists. He need not have. And, be- 
sides, he is highly honored in all our evangelical 
denominations for his able defence of the Bible 
against the fierce attacks of the so-called higher 
critics. The leading school of learning among the 
Presbyterians, Princeton, has done itself the honor 
to confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. 
No, he made no mistake when he took the Bible as 
his only rule of faith and practice, and went where the 
Bible led him. 

It was supposed when the newly arrived emigrant 
went to Flushing, that his work there would be done 
in three or four months. Instead of this, he re- 
mained about eighteen months, during which time a 
congregation, that grew into a Baptist Church, was 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 77 

gathered. Mr. Osgood became its first Pastor, and 
that was his first pastorate. He not only preached 
without a salary, but also aided, both directly and in- 
directly, in building a house of worship. Mr. Ben- 
jamin Pike, of the Oliver Street Baptist Church, New 
York, contributed most generously towards the move- 
ment. Later, Doctor Osgood became Pastor of the 
North Church, New York. After some time at Ger- 
man Universities, he became a Professor in the Crozer 
Theological Seminary, and afterwards in the Roch- 
ester Theological Seminary, where he is still exerting 
his benign influence. 

We are now drawing near to the time when John 
Sheridan was led by an unerring Providence to a 
field for which he was preeminently fitted. How that 
place was opened to him is of interest just here, and 
so I shall give a letter written by one who was then a 
stranger to him. but who soon became a warm and. 
much-valued friend. 

" New York, December 6, 1856. 
"Me. John Sheeidan. 

" Dear Sir /—The Brooklyn City Mission and Tract 
Society have a vacancy for a Missionary, and my 
Pastor, Mr. Holme, thinks you are just the man: 
The duties of the office are just such as you have 
been accustomed to, both in the old country and in 
this. The Executive Committee have appointed an- 
other brother and myself a committee to find a 
suitable person, and I would like very much to have 
an interview with you in reference to it. I am at 
23 Beekman Street, New York, during business hours,. 



78 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

I think you would find the field congenial. A greater 
field of usefulness is nowhere to be found. I think 
that in other respects it would be made satisfactory 
to you. Waiting your reply, I remain, 
" Truly yours, 

"Thomas Vernon." 

In after years, the Rev. Doctor Holme felt proud 
to be able to say that he was the first to name John 
Sheridan for mission work in south Brooklyn. 

He began his labors in Brooklyn, in January, 1857. 
He was cheered by the companionship, during his 
first days' labors, of the Kev. Henry Bromley, a de- 
voted man of God, and an experienced City Mission- 
ary* They continued to be warm friends through life. 

Mr. Yernon spoke truly when he said that a greater 
field of usefulness could nowhere be found, and it is 
doubtful if anywhere a man could then be found who 
was better adapted to the work than John Sheridan. 
He was, indeed, "a great City Missionary," but such 
was his humility that he never thought of greatness 
in connection with himself. But few ministers of the 
Gospel have been brought in touch with such a vast 
number of persons as was the south Brooklyn Mis- 
sionary during the forty years that he gave to that 
field, and they represented all classes of society. In 
his journal I find many entries of this kind, " Called 

at , by request," Many such visits were made 

at homes of culture and refinement, and no guest was 
more welcome than he. And often his presence wa3 
as eagerly sought at such homes when they were 
darkened by sorrow as it was in the homes of the poor 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 79 

at times of sad bereavement. As a Missionary he 
was unique in that he could go from one extreme of 
society to another, and feel equally at ease with all, 
and all who needed sympathy were helped by his 
presence. Many a good man can do a noble work 
among the poor and the needy who would be entirely 
out of place in homes of wealth and refinement. On 
the other hand, there are many pastors whose presence 
in such homes is a blessing, who would feel ill at ease 
on a canal-boat or in a tenement house. But families 
of ail kinds have felt his influence, and have blessed 
the day when he first came across their path. No 
wonder that the Rev. Mr. Stoddard speaks of him a3 
a rare Christian man. It is said in the Minutes of the 
Long Island Baptist Association, that "he was pre- 
eminently the Apostle to the poor. " This, indeed, was 
his crowning work. With all his heart, he believed 
that the poor should have the Gospel preached unto 
them, and his highest ambition was to do his full 
share of that work. But hundreds were influenced 
by him who were not poor or needy. Very many 
families of refinement were pleased to have him re- 
cognized by their children as their friend; and in 
times of sorrow and sad bereavement, his presence 
was most earnestly desired at their homes. Again, I 
quote from Mr. Stoddard: 

" It would be a mistake to leave the impression that 
this rare man of God confined his labors to the less 
favored people among whom he moved. He was in 
every sense of the word a cultured Christian gentle- 
man. He numbered among his closest friends some 



80 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

of the most highly gifted and cultured people of our 
city and of our land. None loved him more dearly, 
or Bought his counsel more constantly than these. In 
the homes of the sick and the aged he was always 
welcome. At anniversaries and weddings he was an 
honored and respected guest." 

This accords with what was said to me by a lady of 
culture and refinement, at whose attractive home he 
was always a welcome guest. She said, " It would be 
a mistake to suppose that your brother's labors were 
confined to sailors, and to those who lived in tenant 
houses. No doubt but such were influenced by him, 
thousands of them. But he was also the means, in 
the hands of God, of bringing comfort to many a 
sorrowing heart in homes of affluence." She then 
told me of a lady who moves in the best society, that 
at one time had a great sorrow resting upon her, and 
what made it all the harder to bear, she felt that she 
must keep it all to herself. At length the burden 
became so great, she felt that she could not live 
unless relief would come in some way. la this state 
she invited John Sheridan to visit her home. There 
she told him about her sorrow, listened to his con- 
soling words, and bowed with him in prayer to the 
God of all grace. The visits were repeated, and the 
sorrowing one was greatly relieved. The lady who 
reported this to me said, " My friend said to me that 
in that time of great sorrow she could talk to your 
brother as she could talk to God, and she gave it as 
her opinion that he was a messenger of mercy in 
many a home like her own.' 5 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 81 

No one who told him a secret had the slightest 
uneasiness lest it should be divulged. They were 
perfectly certain that it would not. This thought was 
uppermost in the mind of his gifted friend, Francis 
J. Pender, when he penned the following lines, which 
were published in the Strong Place Monthly, for 
March. 1897: 

" A TRIBUTE TO MY DEAR BROTHER, JOHN SHERIDAN. 

1 ' Had one a secret trouble to confess, 
A doubt, a fear, or tale of deep distress, 

And which no one he knew could understand,, 

" His ear was open to the cry, 
While fraught with comfort would be his *epiy, 
Like cooling waters in a desert land. 

" O Saviour, Jesus, could that glorious life, 
But make us stronger in the daily strife, 

And urge us on in nobler deeds for thee. 

" We'll praise thee that across our path he came, 
To kindle in our hearts a holy flame, 

And make them temples of thine own to be." 

No wonder that every class was represented among 
those who made great lamentation over him. 

As has been intimated, he had the power of feeling 
at perfect ease in the presence of the most refined, 
and in homes of luxury, and as Dr. Stoddard recog- 
nizes, his society was sought by such. And then, he 
could go directly from such homes to the tenant 
house or the canal boat and feel equally at home with 
the occupants of such places, and the humblest felt at 
ease in his presence. In many humble homes he was 
looked upon as their best friend, and his visits were> 



82 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 

received with feelings of gratitude. In his native 
county, it used to be said that the ability to feel at 
ease in the presence of men of all classes, was " a gift " 
that belonged to the family. Doubtless, the belief, 
whether based on fact or on fancy, that they inherited 
some of the best blood in Ireland, had much to do 
with this, as it saved them from the embarrassment 
so painfully manifest among the humbler classes of 
Europe when in the presence of those who occupy 
exalted positions in society. Directly, this had but 
little power over him, as in early life, he looked upon 
our family pride of ancestry as nonsensical, although 
in later years he was in some degree interested in 
geneological affairs. But, although this family pride 
had no direct influence over him when his character 
was being formed, he imbibed the family spirit to a 
greater extent than he was ever fully conscious of. 
Humble as he was — and it is certain that he thought 
less highly of himself than he should have thought — ■ 
he was by no means lacking in self-respect. He 
prized no man's friendship if offered in a condescend- 
ing manner. In this respect, at least, he was actually 
high, if not proud-spirited. True, he did not stand 
in need of such friendships, as there have been but 
few men of our day who have had more or truer friends 
than he could number. 

The following, taken from the City Mission Jour- 
nal for June, 1895, written by the editor, gives a very 
good account of his work in Mission Schools, along 
the docks and among the sailors : 

"Thirty-eight years ago (in 1857) the Rev. John 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 83 

Sheridan became deeply interested in the spiritual 
condition of the people comprising a small settlement 
east of the Goanus canal. It is almost impossible for 
us to realize that at that time there were only two 
streets below Butler street, between the canal and 
Fifth avenue. The Superintendent of the Brooklyn 
City Mission Society, learning of the need and desire 
existing among these people for a Weekly Prayer 
Meeting and a Sunday School, aided the Missionary 
in the establishment of a Mission. The work was 
very prosperous, and as the population increased, one 
of the city churches (Strong Place) became interested 
in it, and in 1863, erected a brick chapel on Carroll 
street, between Hoyt and Bond street. This Mission 
was assisted by Christian friends of various denomin- 
ations. Hundreds of people turned to the Lord within 
its walls. The majority of the early members have 
gone to the better land. Some are still living to thank 
God for the Old Mission. Their children and grand 
children are followers of the Master. 

" As the years rolled on, great changes took place in 
the neighborhood, and in 1888, the building was sold, 
and the Sunday School united with the Church School, 
The Missionary who had labored here for thirty years 
looked about for a new field. He soon found a terri- 
tory, a square mile in area, containing people enough 
to form a good-sized city, without a Protestant Sun- 
day School. Under the auspices of the City Mission 
a work was organized on the first Sunday in January, 
1889. Mr. Sheridan gave the new Mission the very 
appropriate name of Shining Light Mission, for it 



84 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

was then, and is now, a bright and shining light in 
the midst of great spiritual darkness. The Mission is 
located in the centre of a large tenement-house popu- 
lation. It is an oasis in this neighborhood. 

" SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE. 

"The Shining Light Mission has a neat chapel, 
well lighted, and comfortably situated. There was a 
short Praise Service. The singing was very spirited, 
all from the eldest to the youngest taking part. There 
was a large proportion of young men and boys in the 
congregation. The services opened with prayer and 
reading of the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel by 
John. More singing followed. The Pastor spoke 
briefly, but with great earnestness, upon the choice 
made by the Jewish people — their choosing Barra- 
bas instead of Christ. He urged his hearers to 
choose Christ for their portion. The meeting 
was then thrown open to all who desired to take 
part." 

A very interesting report follows of testimonies 
given by persons who had been converted in the 
Mission, and the writer closes his report of the even- 
ing service as follows: 

" A striking feature of the service was the young 
people's familiarity with the Scriptures. Nearly 
' every testimony was prefaced by a text." 

At the time this meeting was held the Missionary 
had passed his seventieth birthday, but it will be seen 
that his hold on the young was strong, Laborers for 
Christ should cultivate love for the young, and the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 85 

young will love them in return. The Minister who 
loves young people never grows old to them. 

In the same number of the Mission Journal, June, 
1895, we find the following: 

" WORK ALONG THE DOCKS. 

"Mr. Sheridan, in addition to his work at the Mis- 
sion, accomplishes great good by his intercourse with 
sailors and 'longshoremen. He has many conversa- 
tions with the sailors. This work abounds in inci- 
dents replete with interest, as it brings the Missionary 
into contact with all sorts and conditions of men. A 
young sailor said, ' My home is in a town in Maine. 
I was converted there, but before I had an opportu- 
nity to unite with a church, my ship sailed. After 
awhile I fell into sin, bat now I am determined to 
follow Christ through evil and through good report.' 

" One day Mr. Sheridan met a Roman Catholic 
from Dublin and a Mohammedan from Constantinople 
in the same room in a steamship. The former was 
very liberal in his views, the latter seemed desirous to 
learn the truth. 

"A German sailor, about to sail for Brazil, asked 
that when he returned, a Bible be given him. But, 
alas! he never came back. He died on the ocean. 
An officer of the ship, when telling the sad news to 
the Missionary, added, ' The sudden death of this 
strong man has caused me to think more seriously of 
my eternal welfare than ever before/ 

" The sailors all have a kind greeting for the Mis- 
sionary. They hasten to assist him to get on and off 



88 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

the ships, carrying his papers and parcels that he 
may be relieved from the burden. A sailor took the 
Missionary's parcel so that he might better descend a 
very steep ladder. Addressing the Missionary, another 
sailor said, ' He has helped the rum-seller, and it is 
better for him to help you.' ' You have lived for 
your fellowmen.' said a Roman Catholic, ' and I hope 
many more years will be given you in the service of 
God. 5 

"In warm weather he often finds a father living in 
some crowded tenement, who has taken the children 
out on the dock for fresh air, and that the mother 
may have an opportunity to perform the household 
duties without interruption. The children's hearts 
are made glad by gifts of illustrated papers and 
picture cards, and the Missionary holds a conversation 
with the father. The field where he works certainly 
abounds in opportunities for doing great things for 
the Master/' 

It might be added that he frequently preached and 
held prayer meetings on ships. His capacity for 
work was very great. It would seem that the only 
rest he needed was a change of work. He had the 
genius that usually, if not invariably, belongs to suc- 
cessful men in all departments of effort, " The genius 
for hard work," as it has been aptly called. 

The respect shown him by those who frequented 
"the water front" was remarkable. Many of them 
were Roman Catholics who were well aware of the 
strength of his Protestantism, yet they treated him 
with as much respect as if he were a priest of their 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 87 

own church. They called him "Father Sheridan/' 
and the Irish amongst them were proud of him. They 
would say to each other and to men of American birth, 
" He does not try to hide his Irish origin," a thing 
that is sometimes done by Irishmen with weak heads 
or mean hearts. He was perfectly safe among them. 
So were those who aided him in his work when he 
was near, but not always in his absence. During my 
short sad visit to Brooklyn in January, 1897, I heard 
many interesting facts about his work. Among other 
things I was told that a young man who aided him in 
his work along the docks decided one Sunday morn- 
ing to go by himself. He was soon surrounded by a 
number of rough men who spoke to him in a rough 
manner. They commanded him to throw his Bible 
into the water, which of course he refused to do. 
They then declared that they would throw him in 
unless he would throw in his Bible. As matters 
began to look serious, one of them looked around, and 
then said, " Boys, we must stop this. Here is Father 
Sheridan." As the Missionary drew near enough to 
be saluted, they said in pleasant tones, " Good morn- 
ing, Father Sheridan," and the young man and his 
Bible were safe. Doubtless one secret of the respect 
with which he was treated by such persons was the 
fact that he would exert himself as energetically to 
find employment for Roman Catholics out of work as 
he would for Protestants, and all who knew him were 
well aware of this fact. In relieving distress among 
the deserving poor, no denominational lines were 
drawn by him. But in attempting to do good unto 



88 A CONSECRATED LIFE 

all men, those who belonged to the household of faith 
were not neglected. 

Another way in which his influence was greatly 
increased was the training of young men for voluntary 
mission work. As the society that employed him 
represented all the evangelical denominations in 
Brooklyn, those aided by his councils in their desires 
for greater usefulness, were not confined to any one 
denomination. The following interesting letter from 
the Rev. William Hyde, an evangelical clergyman of 
the Protestant Episcopal Church, will throw light on 
this part of his work. Mr. Hyde was greatly beloved 
by the South Brooklyn Missionary: 

"330 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, Dec. 31, 1897. 
"Rev. and Dear Brother: 

" I consider it a privilege to bear testimony to the 
life and work of such a noble Christian Minister as 
your brother, the late Rev. John Sheridan. 

"My acquaintance with him began in this way: — 
Before I thought of studying for the Ministry, I was 
in the habit of visiting the ships in the Atlantic Basin 
every Sunday morning to distribute tracts to the sail- 
ors. Your brother heard of me, and sought me out, 
and from that time to the time of his death, our friend- 
ship continued. From him I learned to approach the 
sailors in a profitable way. I reported to him when 
Bibles were needed, and he supplied them. With 
him I attended meetings with the sailors in the fore- 
castle. I also remember how the work among them 
was followed up by him — by invitations to some 
church, by going after them, and leading them to the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 89 

house of God, by leaving them cards bearing direc- 
tions how they might find the several churches to 
which they belonged. 

" While capable of what some would call higher 
work, for he had calls to the charge of churches, he 
was wise to see and decide that he could do better 
work in the Missionary field, just where so many fail. 
He went about doing good to all kinds of people, and 
in this he had his reward even here for his life was 
like that of the Master. It was on this account that 
his life bore the stamp of his Apostolic injunction, 
4 Rejoice evermore. 5 It was a pleasure to meet him. 
He always had a kind word, as well as profitable. 

"His work was one of the widest scope and influ- 
ence. Men with large congregations might think of 
such a Ministry as limited, but compared with his, 
how limited is theirs! You might say his field was 
the world. He sowed the Word broadcast not only 
among those who needed it most in Brooklyn but also 
in ships of all nations which carried it to the ends of 
the earth. He sowed the word in letters which were 
sent by him to all parts. Now calculate if you can 
the influence of such a man for half a century. 

"I cannot forget the shock that his taking away 
caused us. At first it seemed mysterious and unsuit- 
able. Yet how merciful, how fitting! He was pre- 
pared — always ready. And he died as a good soldier 
of Jesus Christ on the field where he was contending 
for the truth — fighting the good fight of faith. I 
saw him in the hospital. There was not a sign of 
pain. All was peace — rest. And so the man of God 



90 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

passed to his reward, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord." 

Mr. Hyde is right in saying that his services were 
sought after by churches. One who knew him inti- 
mately says: 

" He did not remain on his field of labor because 
there was no other opened to him. A number of 
times he was called to other fields, some of them 
offering greater apparent inducements, yet true 
to his nature, he stayed at his post like a tried 
soldier." 

As has been seen, when he first made a profession 
of faith in Christ, he most ardently desired to become 
a Foreign Missionary, and his disappointment was 
great when it became apparent that he could not be 
such. Before he was very long in Brooklyn he saw 
that on his field he could be both a Home and Foreign 
Missionary, as he came in contact with men of all 
nationalities. His Missionary aspirations having been 
gratified, he resolved that he would not leave that 
field, unless Providence would shut him out from it. 
To him the opening of a door elsewhere, in itself, was 
no evidence that the Head of the Church wanted him 
to make a change. Would to God that this spirit 
might be cherished more generally by Pastors as well 
as by Missionaries. He remained on his field, not 
because it was looked upon as more honorable than 
positions that were open to him, but because of its 
opportunities for usefulness. As a City Missionary, 
his was A dedicated life. To him the most useful 
life was the most honorable, however it might seem. 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 91 

to the self-seeking. And yet, he was honored as but 
few laborers for Christ are honored. 

He. introduced many families to the Pastors of the 
various evangelical denominations. This he looked 
upon as a most important part of his work. The 
following letter from the gifted pen of T. Edwin 
Brown, D.D., gives a good idea of his work in this 
direction. As will be noticed elsewhere, the Taber- 
nacle Baptist Church, Brooklyn, grew out of a Mission, 
of the Strong Place Church. Dr. Brown was the 
first Pastor. He was very young when he began his 
work on that field, yet he met with decided success. 
He was afterwards, and for several years, Pastor of 
the Second Baptist Church, Rochester, N. Y., where 
he was the Pastor of Theological Professors and 
Students. Later, he was Pastor of the Memorial 
Baptist Church, Philadelphia, and is now at Franklin, 
Pa. On each of these fields the Lord has crowned 
his labors with success: 

" Franklin, Pa., January 5, 1898. . 
"My Dear Brother Sheridan: 

"I have your letter of December 24. 1 have just 
opened the old Diary I used to keep in my early 
Brooklyn days. I find this entry, ( December 19, 1862. 
Brother Sheridan came to my room. Had a very 
pleasant visit). I had been just one month a Pastor. 
John Sheridan was not a member of our little church. 
We occupied a part of his field. Yet no Assistant or 
Associate Pastor could have been more useful to his 
chief or his church than he was to me and mine. It 
was he who first suggested that it might, perhaps, be 



92 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

my duty to settle in South Brooklyn. We were walk- 
ing on Columbia avenue. The sight of the place, 
the sound of his voice, the words spoken, come back 
to me distinctly, mingled with the memory of very 
sweet odors. ' If you come I will help you all I can.' 
And faithfully he kept his word. Cheer, counsel, co- 
operation, heaped-up measure and running over, all 
were mine. It was a great school for a young minister, 
that school and comradeship with such a man and 
such a worker. To see him work, to hear him pray, 
to pray with him, to catch a little of his temper, to 
learn his methods, it was worth volumes of tractates 
and hours of lectures on practical theology. He was 
so tactful, so winsome, so surcharged with earnestness, 
so persistent, so patient. He loved Christ with all 
his heart, and with the simple eagerness of a little 
child; and with the wise tenderness of a life's experi- 
ence, would present the Christ as the only hope of a 
sinful soul. His hand opened to me many a door of 
pastoral opportunity. Many whom I baptized into 
the fellowship of the Tabernacle Church were the 
immediate fruit of his labors 

"Mr. Sheridan was tenacious of his convictions. — I 
was about to write tremendously tenacious, (I am not 
sure but that is the best word), for you would some- 
times see the evidence of a force in gripping convic- 
tion that seemed Titanic. Those who did not know 
him well might sometimes think him too rigid. But 
many of his opinions had been forged in the hot fires 
of controversy. And while he felt warmly, and held 
on strongly, he was never hard but always sweet and 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 93 

John, indeed, he was, a son of thunder when 
aroused, yet John-like, loving and beloved, a man 
to trust and to tie to utterly. For Missionary zeal, 
philanthropic charity, hunger for souls, a friendliness 
that got equally under a f ustion jacket or a broadcloth 
coat, manly Christ-likeness of spirit and life that 
commended itself to all who knew him, the name of 
John Sheridan will be a precious household memory 
in many a home in South Brooklyn for years to come. 

" It gives me great pleasure to send you this very 
imperfect tribute of my love for your noble brother. 

" Wishing you great prosperity in your work, I am, 
" Yours faithfully, 

" T. Edwin Brown." 

I prize Doctor Brown's letter very highly. Those 
who knew the South Brooklyn Missionary merely as 
a meek and humble man of God, with a kindly look 
and a cheerful countenance, may wonder why his 
friend Doctor Brown should call him a son of thunder. 
Those who knew him the most intimately, however, 
will not be astonished, as they will agree with the 
Doctor in all that he has said about him. He could 
be indignant, and when his indignation was aroused, 
the son of thunder might be seen and felt. It is a 
mistake to suppose that the Apostle John ceased to 
be a son of thunder when he became the Apostle of 
love. In the same Epistle he could say, "God is 
love." "We know that we have passed from death 
unto life because we love the brethren," and, " Who 
is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ." 
"Whosoever committeth sin is of the devil." In 



94 A CONSECKATED LIFE. 

another Epistle he says, " If there come any unto you 
and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your 
house, neither bid him God speed." Strong language 
is it not? The likeness given of the beloved disciple 
has left a false impression. It is a mistake to sup- 
pose that he was effeminate. Grace made him a 
loving and a lovable man, but he did not cease to be 
a son of thunder. In his own sphere, so was it with 
the John of whom Doctor Brown speaks. He was 
gentle, but he ^was strong. He was noted for his 
meekness, but when courage was needed, he was a3 
bold as a lion. The late Mr. Timothy Conroy, a lay 
Missionary in West Connaught, knew him well before 
he ever left his father's home. They corresponded 
for several years after he came to this country. In 
speaking of his ordination, Mr. Conroy said, in one of 
his letters, ' ; I suppose I must now call you ' Reverend/ 
but I know you are the same humble John Sheridan, 
or rather, Philip Melancthon, with a large share of 
Martin Luther's boldness and religious zeal." In the 
place where he was brought up it used to be said that 
he had his father's courage and his mother's amia- 
bility, with the tender regard for the poor that was 
characteristic of both. From the time of his conver- 
sion onward, it was seen that energy and gentleness 
had each a place in his nature. 

It is worthy of note that the able and scholarly men 
with whom he was intimate, speak freely of their 
indebtedness to him. Doctor Brown tells us how 
he was helped in his first pastorate, placing the knowl- 
edge gained above volumes of tractates and hours of 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 95 

lectures on practical theology. Doctor Wayland 
Hoyt in his beautiful address given at his funeral 
said, " I learned more from him than he ever learned 
from me," a high compliment from one who was 
twice his pastor. In one of Doctor Osgood's letters 
to him he said, "I bless the day that you first crossed 
my path," and in another letter, alluding to the time 
that they labored together at Flushing, he said, 
u When you taught me how to study the Scriptures." 
True, much of this may be attributed to their love 
for him, and to their humility; for like most educated 
men of decided ability, they are humble men. But 
after all due allowance is made, the fact remains that 
strong, scholarly men, freely, even gratefully acknowl- 
edge their indebtedness to John Sheridan. 



CHAPTER VI. 

ITEMS OF INTEREST. 

T~N the sketch of his work prepared by himself a 
few days before his death, he says: 

" The briefest outline of the various kinds of work 
done during the forty years of my connection with 
the Brooklyn City Mission Society, would fill several 
volumes. The mere item ' Letters received and an- 
swered,' has been in itself an immense work. Letters 
have been received from different parts of the world, 
sometimes from persons whom I had never seen. 
Time needed for rest and preparation for preaching, 
has been frequently occupied in answering these 
letters. Hundreds of letters of introduction and 
commendation have been written for persons in search 
of employment. 

" During the civil war, hundreds of soldiers were 
cheered and encouraged through correspondence. 
Several, to whom I wrote, united with Christian 
churches; when they returned to their homes. 

" Parents, converted through my instrumentality, 
have urged me to write to their children, at a distance. 
A daughter, who received a letter written by the re- 
quest of her mother, returned from Minnesota and 
united with the Church of w T hich her mother was a 
member. She stated publicly that the reading of a 
letter written by one whom she then had never seen 
was the means of her conversion." 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 97 

His letters were greatly prized by those to whom 
he wrote, and by none more than by his own relatives. 
Notwithstanding his busy life, he took time to write 
to his brothers and sisters regularly, and quite fre- 
quently to his nephews and nieces 

" Visits made: some eighty-one thousand five hun- 
dred visits have been made from house to house, to 
public institutions, and among the shipping. This 
includes canal boats and other craft in the harbor." 

Many a sad heart was comforted, many a young 
person persuaded to choose the service of Christ, 
many a backslider reclaimed, and very many saved 
from a life of degradation through those visits. This 
is a good place to give a report of one of his visits 
and of some of its results. 

In the early days of the Carroll Park Mission, he 
became interested in a family that attended the Sun- 
day School. They were very, very poor, as the hus- 
band and father was a drunkard. The ladies of the 
Mission, or of the Strong Place Church, gave the 
children sufficient clothing to enable them to make a 
decent appearance at the Sunday School. One day 
the Missionary met the father of these children, who 
had a bundle under his arm— his children's clothing, 
which he intended to pawn, and spend the proceeds 
on drink. The Missionary, who had his suspicions 
about the bundle, said, " I am on the way to your 
house; I wish you would turn back, and come with 
me." He excused himself and said, "My wife and 
children will be glad to see you." u Yes, but I have 
a strong desire to see you all together at your home. 



98 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

I want to have a nice visit today with the father and 
mother and the children. " After much gentle urging 
the man turned back, and went home. The children's 
clothing, given by kind Christian ladies, was not taken 
to the pawn office at that time, nor ever afterwards. 
Not a word was said to the drinking man about his 
bad habits until he spoke of them himself. His chil- 
dren were deservedly praised for their good behavior 
at the Mission, and the hope was expressed that their 
father would do what he could to have them properly 
educated. He was told that he had reason to be 
proud of them, which was literally true. Then the 
manliness of the man asserted itself, and he gave the 
credit of their training to their mother. Then with 
sobs he declared that he was not worthy of such a 
wife or of such children. "But you may be worthy 
of them," was the reply. He was told where strength 
might be found with which to break the tempter's 
power, and thus become Christ's freeman. He 
pledged, on his knees, that with the help of God, he 
would never again touch the accursed drink. And 
this pledge he kept most faithfully. He used to say 
in after years that Mr. Sheridan's interest in him and 
in his family seemed so great that he could not refuse 
to go with him to his home, and that the words 
spoken there brought conviction to his soul. As he 
was a good mechanic, he soon found employment. 
He attended the Mission with his wife and children, 
and became an humble follower of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. In time he moved to another part of the 
city, and became a member of a church near his new 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 99 

home. He became one of its trustees. The church 
was running behind in its finances. Nothing remark- 
able about that. Some of the leading members met 
one evening to see what could be done. The only 
plan seemed to be higher pew rents. Then this re- 
formed man said, " Don't raise the rent of the pews; 
don't do that. If you do, you will shut out the work- 
ing people, and we cannot afford to do that." By this 
time he was in business for himself, and was able and 
willing to give to the cause of Christ. " I will give 
one-tenth of the shortage, " he continued. " Are there 
not nine others in our Church, each one of whom can 
do as much?" The money was pledged in a few 
moments; the pew rents were not raised, and the poor 
were not shut out. That man was worth saving, and 
many such were saved through the instrumentality of 
John Sheridan. 

The reader will notice the tact displayed by the 
Missionary. Had that man been severely lectured, 
when on his way to the pawnshop, he would have been 
hardened, but by " sanctified tact " he was led to con- 
fess his faults with sobs and tears. 

In his intercourse with Roman Catholics, his tact 
was used to great advantage. I was with him once 
at a home in New York, where a mumber of newly 
arrived emigrants from our native county were stop- 
ping. As some of them were Protestants and some 
Roman Catholics, the friends who called to see them 
represented both sides of the religious question. As 
is usual at such gatherings of Irish people, a religious 
controversy sprang up, After quite a discussion, in 



100 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

which several took part, a man whose given name was 
Timothy, but who was called Tim by all of his ac- 
quaintances, said in a most emphatic manner, "The 
divil a Protestant can ever get to heaven." With a 
twinkle in his eye, and in the pleasantest of tones, 
my brother said to him, " Tim, I can name a Protest- 
ant who has gone to heaven." "No, you can't." 
" Yes, but I can, Tim. I believe that good old Samuel 
Brown has gone to heaven; don't you?" To the 
astonishment of everybody present, except the one 
who asked the question, Tim said in his emphatic 
manner, "Yes, I do. Samuel Brown was kind to 
everybody. An' didn't he say when he was dying, 
that Jesus was with him in the room. Indeed, an' I 
do believe that Samuel Brown has gone to heaven." 
"Well, Tim, do you not see that if one Protestant 
has gone to heaven, others may go there." Then 
kindly and lovingly, the way of salvation through 
faith in Christ was made known, and controversy for 
that evening was at an end. All present knew him 
in his native land, some of them from his childhood, 
and all had perfect confidence in his integrity. They 
listened in the most respectful manner as he talked 
about the Saviour of sinners. 

Many years afterwards, a woman who was present 
that evening was told by her physician that she was 
7 not long for this world. As she was a Roman Catho- 
lic, quite naturally she sent for her priest, but she 
was not satisfied. She said to her husband, " I wish 
I could see Mr. Sheridan, and hear him speak his nice 
words about the Saviour." " Then you shall see him,"' 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 101 

was the reply. " I shall call for him myself, and I am 
sure he will not refuse to see you." He, like his wife, 
was a Roman Catholic, yet he went several miles to 
deliver that message. The visit was made, the "nice 
words about the Saviour " were spoken, and prayer 
was offered. Before the interview was closed, the 
dying woman said, "Now I am not afraid to die. I 
am sure I can trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I 
believe his blood is able to cleanse me from my sins." 

Very many Roman Catholics heard from him the 
way of salvation through personal faith in Christ, and 
gave him the most respectful attention. 

But to return to Tim. In early life he worked as 
a hired man for Mr. Brown, who was a Deacon of the 
Easkey Baptist Church, and made a runaway match 
with one of his daughters. As is frequently the case 
in such instances, money was given them to pay their 
way to America. In the circumstances, Tim had been 
kindly dealt with. In view of this and of his close 
connection with Protestants of genuine piety, he 
richly deserved a stinging rebuke for the uncharitable 
words spoken on the evening alluded to; but had such 
a rebuke been given, there would have been no oppor- 
tunity for giving expression to those " nice words 
about the Saviour." Some of Tim's children became 
Baptists when they grew up. 

"religious literature distributed. 

" Over two thousand one hundred Bibles and Testa- 
ments in twelve different languages and dialects 
have been distributed. Some were sold and the pro- 



102 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

ceeds handed over to the City Bible Society. Several 
hundred thousand tracts and religious papers have 
been circulated. The narrative tracts, published by 
the London Tract Society, made such a deep impress- 
ion on my boyish mind that I have ever found pleas- 
ure in circulating such tracts." 

" SERVICES HELD. 

" Five thousand four hundred Prayer meetings and 
other religious services have been held at Mission 
stations, public institutions, in tenement houses, on 
board ships, boats, and in the open air on the Atlantic 
Docks. The Gospel has sometimes been preached in 
churches." 

He frequently supplied the pulpit of the Strong 
Place Baptist Church during the pastor's vacations. 
Some years since, a very intelligent member of that 
church visited friends in Toledo and came to hear me 
preach. He said, " Your brother is supplying the 
Pulpit at the Strong Place Church during our pastor's 
vacation, and with great acceptance" He sometimes 
baptized the converts, and frequently presided at 
the Lord's Supper, when the church was without a 
pastor. 

The number of funerals attended by him was one 
thousand seven hundred and thirty-three. His friend 
and fellow-missionary, the Rev. Mr. Bass, said at his 
funeral : 

" I believe he attended more funerals than any other 
clergyman in Brooklyn, and he made every funeral a 
means of grace. He became acquainted with the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 103 

people; he cultivated their acquaintance, and followed 
them up. He could tell of grand parents and of 
parents, of children and of grand children who were 
converted through this instrumentality." 

In many instances, persons from a distance who 
attended the funerals of relatives where he ministered, 
were led to a saving knewledge of Christ through his 
instrumentality. In a letter dated at Albany, N. Y., 
January 23, 1865, I find the following words: 

" Your solicitations and earnestness when we came 
back in the carriage after performing the sad duty of 
burying the mortal remains of my dear sister Louise, 
have been blessed to me. Little did I think then that 
the Lord heard your prayers, and that from that 
moment he would take me by the hand. I am like a 
little child when I speak my heart." 

Many letters of this nature were received by him. 
Those whose hearts were made tender by sad bereave- 
ment, and who lived in the city, were visited. If they 
were without church associations, every possible effort 
was made to place them under the influence of faith- 
ful pastors. If they lived at a distance, they were 
written to. If they lived near his Mission Chapel, 
they were made welcome there. 

On the night of his funeral, a man who was deeply 
moved said to me, "Your brother buried my father 
and mother and four of my children. He was always 
with us when we were in trouble. We have lost our 
best earthy friend." Tender were the attachments 
formed between him and the families at whose homes 
he ministered in times of sad bereavement. 



104 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 



BELIEVING THE POOR. 



We quote: "The kind friend whose confidence I 
enjoyed for a quarter of a century, and who enabled 
me to assist seven hundred and fifty families and 
individuals, has followed other benefactors to the 
world beyond, but there are some left to remember the 
poor. The gentleman whose check was received for 
my first month's salary has not lost his interest in 
City Missionaries, to some of whom valuable gifts of 
delicious soups are forwarded for the sick, and for 
others who may need them." 

He also makes grateful mention of the indebtedness 
of the Mission to the Rev. Willard Parsons, of the 
New York Tribune "Fresh Air Fund." There is 
nothing said in the sketch of his work, from which I 
have quoted, about his personal gifts. The Rev. 
Doctor Middleditch says, " He lived in the most frugal 
manner so as to have money to give to the poor and 
to church and missionary work," and I can testify that 
Doctor Middleditch speaks truly. He began by giving 
one-tenth of his income. Soon he increased his giving 
to one-fifth. For many years he gave one fourth, and 
during the last year of his life, he gave away more 
than his entire income, as he wished to be his own 
almoner. Because of the amounts that he gave to the 
cause of Christ, many supposed that his income was 
much larger than it really was. His wealth consisted 
in his inexpensive habits of life, and in his benevo- 
lence. But he always lived in respectable neighbor- 
hoods and dressed as was becoming to his station* 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 105 

Much as he aided the poor with food, fuel, etc., he did 
much more for them by finding them employment, 
and by the advice that he gave as to the best use to 
make of their earnings. He richly deserved to be 
called " The friend of the poor." 

He concludes his sketch about his work in Brook- 
lyn, as follows: 

•* God has set the seal of his approbation upon the 
different departments of work in which I have been 
engaged. People have been converted on ships, barges 
and boats. Funerals have been followed by the con- 
version of sinners, and hundreds have been helped 
into a new life through the public proclamation of the 
Gospel, and through visits made from house to house. 
Large numbers have been comforted in sick rooms, hos- 
pitals, and in their homes in times of trial and bereave- 
ment. Religious conversations have also been held in 
the streets, along the wharves of our water front, and 
at my own home, with many thousand persons." 

It might be said of him as it could be said of but 
few others, that he sowed " beside all waters," and the 
blessing promised to such sowers was surely his. — See 
Isaiah, xxxii. 20. 

How many were brought to Christ through his 
•instrumentality? Doctor Middleditch says, "Doubt- 
less many scores." He might have said, " Many hun- 
dreds," and yet be at a great distance from the border- 
land of exaggeration. Directly and indirectly, the 
number has been very great. God alone knows how 
great. I remember to have heard my father repeat 
the following words: 



106 A CONSECRATED LIFE, 

" Tell me soldier, tell me truly, 

How oft in battte have you killed a foe ?" 

" Go count the leaves when the wind's unruly, 
That in the Autumn months do blow." 

One might as well attempt to count the leaves as 
they are driven by the rude October blasts which give 
warning of the coming Winter, as to count the number 
of persons who have been influenced for Christ by 
such a man as John Sheridan. Through his influ- 
ence, some are preaching the Gospel. Many in the 
various walks of life are serving their generation by 
the will of God, whilst a large number have finished 
their course with joy. 

In the use of his mother tongue, the English, he 
was perfectly at ease. He never hesitated for a word 
either in public address or in conversation. He also 
had a good knowledge of the Gaelic, a language that 
he learned to love during his Missionary life in w^est 
Oonnaught. He loved it because it is preeminently 
a language of the heart. It is wondrously rich in 
terms of endearment and of welcome. He loved 
the Gaelic word for Gospel, " Soisgeul," — Peace-story 
or Story of Peace. He learned the German language 
soon after he went to Brooklyn. He could read it 
with ease, and could make himself understood by 
those who knew no other language, and he under- 
stood them. His knowledge of that language was a 
great help to him in his work. He learned enough 
of the Scandinavian dialects to enable him to convey 
his thoughts in his interviews with sailors of those 
nationalities. In later life he became greatly inter- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 107 

ested in Italian Bailors; so he learned enough of their 
language to enable him to speak some words of greet- 
ing. Because of the utter absence of everything that 
bordered on self-assertion, his acquirements were 
underestimated by many of his intimate friends; not 
by all, however. His Pastor said in the sermon from 
which I have quoted so freely, "He was endowed by 
nature with rare intellectual ability, while long years 
of careful and unremitting painstaking had made 
him a man of more than ordinary scholarship. " The 
Eev. Doctor Moment said in his address at his funeral, 
"He was a man of strong character; he was a strong 
man physically and a strong man mentally. He 
was a man of wide reading. He knew what was 
going on in the Church — his Church and other 
Churches." 

But how could a man who began his public career 
without the advantages of a collegiate or theological 
education, attain to such a position? Well, he was 
not without advantages. His father's home was com- 
pared to a college by many of the neighbors. The 
superintendent under whom he was first placed when 
he went into mission work, was a man who graduated 
from college with high honors, and he took much 
pleasure in aiding the young Missionary in his studies. 
More yet, they became close friends, and this inti- 
macy, without doubt, helped to develop his mental 
powers. It also gives evidence that he must have 
been a young man of more than ordinary intelligence 
when he left his father's home, as otherwise a close 
friendship, such as existed between him and the 



108 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

scholarly O'Callaghan, would have been utterly im- 
possible. In Ireland he was brought into close rela- 
tionship, in mission work, with men and women of 
culture and of rare intellectual ability. In America 
his first close friend was the learned Doctor Osgood. 
From the day that he went to Brooklyn, he was 
favored with the friendship, even the intimacy, of 
some of the most cultured and refined men and 
women of that " City of Churches." 

He was singularly favored all through life in this 
respect, and we know that much of the benefit 
derived from schools of learning comes from close 
contact with men of education. 

But how could a man who led such a busy life find 
time for self-improvement? First of all, he enjoyed 
good health, During all his American life he never 
had a serious turn of sickness. True, there were 
times when he was " under the weather;" such turns 
having been brought on by overwork. His recupera- 
tive powers were marvelous. Just a little rest or 
change of work, and all thought of weariness was 
gone. Doctor Wood says, " He never acknowledged 
weariness." And yet he was over sixty years of age 
when Doctor Wood became Pastor of Strong Place, 
that is to say, when they first became acquainted. 
His capacity for work was great. And then he was 
methodical, as much so as any man could be who was 
owned by everybody. Nor must his natural ability 
be left out. His perceptive powers were largely 
developed. He could see the tendency of things 
at a glance. He could learn easily, and as he was 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 109 

endowed with a remarkable memory, he retained what 
he learned. 

He went to places of apparent danger without the 
slightest fear. He believed that always and every- 
where, if in the line of duty, he was abiding under 
the shadow of the Almighty, and that, therefore, no 
real harm could befall him. In hi's labors of love, he 
visited homes and hospitals where contagious diseases 
raged, yet he never contracted any of those diseases. 
He went, at times, as a messenger of peace, among 
men of the most desperate character, yet no one 
injured him. He also believed that the Lord would 
take care of his good name, which to him was of more 
value than great riches. In this also God honored 
his trust, as he was protected through life from the 
tongue of the slanderer. There is good ground for 
believing that no one who knew him had as much as 
a suspicion about his purity of life. He believed in 
being prudent, just as prudent as he possibly could 
be, yet it was his firm conviction that this would not 
have availed without the special protection of his 
Heavenly Father; and the following incident is cal- 
culated to convince us that he was correct in his 
belief. 

Many years ago a sick woman was told by an honest 
physician that she did not have long to live. She 
then said in a most excited manner, " Go for Mr. 
Sheridan, be quick, as I cannot die in peace until I 
see him." In due time he was in her presence, when 
she said, " I am so glad you have come. I have a 
confession to make, and I want you to forgive me. 



110 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

Do you remember when I lived in such a tenement 
house? Well, you were in the habit of calling on the 
different families to talk on religion. I did not want 
then to hear anything on that subject, so I made up 
my mind that the next time you would call I would 
scream and charge you with an attempt to assault. 
When you called I was fully determined to do so. 
But I felt that there was an unseen power that kept 
me from screaming. Ever since I have felt sure that 
you are a true servant of God. When I learned that 
I must die, the awful sin of deciding that I would rob 
you of your good name came between me and God 
and I felt that I must confess to you or he lost. Oh, 
can you forgive me. And can you pray to God that 
He may forgive me!" 

She was assured of his forgiveness, but was told 
that as all sin is against God she must repent towards 
Him. Then tenderly and clearly the way of salvation 
was presented to her. She was assured of the willing- 
ness of the Lord Jesus to save sinners, and of His 
power to save. Prayer was offered, and before he left, 
she said to him, "Now I can die in peace. You have 
forgiven me, and I believe that God has forgiven me 
for Jesus sake." 



CHAPTER VII. 

HIS FIKST HOME IN BEOOKLYN — HIS MARRIAGE. 

OOON after John Sheridan went to Brooklyn, ne 
^ transferred his membership from the Oliver Street 
Church, New York, to the Strong Place Church, then 
under the pastoral care of the Rev. E. E. L. Taylor, 
D. D., a man of strong affections, and therefore a man 
who was greatly beloved. A warm and an abiding 
friendship was soon formed between himself and the 
Missionary. It was the delight of each to say kind 
things about the other. The Missionary made his 
home with Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Hoag, members of Strong 
Place and efficient workers in its Mission Sunday 
School. When that Mission became the Tabernacle 
Baptist Church, they were among its first members, 
and Mr. Hoag became one of its Deacons. It was a 
fitting home for a Missionary who had no home of his 
own. He soon became as one of the family, and the 
two sons and two daughters of the home seemed as 
near to him as nephews and nieces. He and Mr. Hoag 
are now " absent from the body and present with the 
Lord, 1 ' and doubtless " know each other there/' He 
went to Brooklyn unmarried and remained unmarried 
for several years. Those who knew him best were 
confirmed in the belief that he would remain as he 
was through life. His Irish friends used to say that 
he might get married if he only could get an angel. 



112 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

On the eighteenth day of July, 1865, he astonished 
all his friends, with the exception of a few who were 
in the secret, by getting married The lady was Miss 
Annie Angel, who was born on this side of the Atlan- 
tic, but of English parentage. His friend, Doctor 
Osgood, was the officiating minister. The Irish, pro- 
verbially fond of joking, passed the word around that 
Mr. Sheridan had actually succeeded in getting An(n) 
Angel, and had therefore got married. Two sons were 
given them, William Henry, born June 30, 1866, and 
Howard Osgood, born September 9, 1869. The first- 
born was called after two uncles, both Baptist Minis- 
ters, William Sheridan and Henry Angel. It is need- 
less to say that the second was named after Doctor 
Osgood. 

Unfortunately, Mrs. Sheridan inherited a weakly 
constitution. Soon after the birth of her second son 
symptoms of consumption manifested themselves. 
Everything possible was done to restore her to health 
and strength, but all proved of no avail. She failed 
gradually until death brought relief on the morning 
of March 8, 1873. She was loving and patient, and 
passed aw r ay without the shadow of a doubt with 
regard to her future. Howard died August 6, 1870, 
thus leaving only one child to be brought up without 
a mother. Soon after the death of Howard, the fol- 
lowing letter was received: 
" My Dear Son John: 

" It is now twenty-two years since I received your 
first letter to me, and never until your last did I receive 
a sorrowfnl line from you. I am well aware how you 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 113 

have felt at the loss of such a fine boy, but I am sure 
that his mother has greater anguish in her soul than 
you can have, as the love of a mother is more than we 
can comprehend. When your first brother William 
died, your mother suffered such grief that she was 
changed in her appearance. It was a long time before 
she regained her strength and looked like herself again. 
Yet, when she grieved the most, she would console and 
soothe me. I hope yourself and his mother will not 
grieve over much for the child, as you know he is with 
Christ. God does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the 
children of men. He doeth all things well. In all 
our sorrows we must say, ' Not our will, O God, but 
thine be done." This letter from his father was highly 
prized and carefully put away with other valuable 
letters. In the same letter his father said, "My 
health is good, yet I know that the outward man is 
on the eve of perishing, but I trust that the inward 
man is being renewed day by day." He lived almost 
seven years after this letter was written. In another 
letter he said, "No doubt but the good man after 
whom Howard was named sympathizes with you. He 
lost a beautiful child himself soon after you became 
acquainted with him." 

The married life of Mr. and Mrs, John Sheridan 
was brief, not quite eight years, but they were years 
of blessing. Mrs. Sheridan used to say that her hus- 
band was the best man in the world. On the other 
hand, her loving, gentle disposition helped to make 
the home a happy one, in spite of afflictions. After 
her death he never saw the day when he wanted to 



114 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

have her place occupied by another, and so he re- 
mained a widower to the end of life. 

In the month of August, following the death of his 
wife, he visited his relatives in Iowa. His motherless 
boy, in his loneliness, was very anxious to see his 
western cousins, and the visit was made in a large 
measure to gratify that desire. They called on me 
in Toledo, and I went with them to Rutland, Iowa. 
It did not take long for the boy to learn from his 
cousins that his father owned some prairie land 
adjoining their father's farm. He became greatly 
interested in the newly discovered possessions, and 
became anxious to know how the wild land might be 
made to look like his uncle's well cultivated farm. 
So one evening his farmer-cousin, John P., undertook 
the important task of teaching him how to " break" 
prairie land, The city boy of seven listened with 
rapt attention as his country cousin imparted his 
superior knowledge in agricultural lines. As the 
lecturer of the evening had not quite completed his 
fourth year, the affair created no small amount of 
amusement for their seniors. 

When we left Iowa, our brother-in-law was appar- 
ently in robust health, but in less than a month he 
was numbered with the dead, and our sister, Margaret 
(Mrs. Boyle), was left a widow with six children, 
the youngest an infant. That she had the sympathy 
of her brother John, need not be stated. 

In 1877, he received word that his father's health 
was failing. He arranged at once to visit the old 
home, and take his boy with him. William Henry 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 115 

had corresponded with his grandfather, and made 
enquiries about the horses on the farm. This pleased 
the grandfather very much, as he was fond of horses, 
as was his father before him, Both father and boy 
anticipated a time of genuine pleasure when the old 
home would be reached. But a sad disappointment 
awaited them. The one whom they crossed the 
Atlantic to see, was dead and buried. And yet my 
brother John was always thankful for having been 
permitted to see his native land once more. He 
learned of his father's triumphant death as he could 
not have learned by letter. He also heard from per- 
sons of all classes about the way that his father was 
honored in his funeral, and all spoke with admiration 
of sister Eleanor, because of her unselfish devotion 
to her father. The impression then made on his mind 
was never effaced, as may be seen by the following 
extract from his Will: 

" I give and bequeath one thousand dollars 
($1000.00) to my sister Eleanor Sheridan, in grateful 
remembrance of services rendered to her father and 
mine during the closing years of his life." 

When a young man, my father took the most tender 
care of his mother. He resolved that he would not 
get married during her lifetime, so that she would 
always remain the mistress of the home, and this reso- 
lution he kept religiously. He was repaid for his 
kindness to his mother in the love that all his children 
had for him, and in his daughter Eleanor's loving and 
tender care. 

The visit made in 1877 by the former Missionaries 



116 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

at Tourinakady is alluded to elsewhere. At the time 
of which we are now speaking, Mr. Townsend was 
Rector of Killoran and Archdeacon of Achonry in the 
County of Sligo. Later, he became Dean of Achonry. 
He and John Sheridan visited together the scenes of 
their early labors in Mayo and Galway. A dignitary 
of the Episcopal Church and a plain Baptist Minister 
visiting in this way, and each highly honored, was a 
sight worth seeing. 

In 1883 another visit was made to Rutland, Iowa, 
and again it was my privilege to be with him. While 
there the Bradgate Baptist Church was recognized. 
Bradgate is about nine miles from Rutland. Patrick 
Sheridan, a Deacon of the Rutland Baptist Church, 
was Clerk of the Council of Recognition. John 
Sheridan, of Brooklyn, N. Y., preached the sermon, 
and William Sheridan, of Toledo, Ohio, gave the 
right hand of fellowship. As the new church was 
"a little flock," the three brothers were tenderly 
reminded of the time when they met with a little flock 
in their native country. 

Still another visit was made to Rutland. In August, 
1894, 1 had once more, what was always the source of 
joy to me, the privilege of his company. He had not 
been well the previous Spring. He had been working 
too hard and needed rest. He was not idle at Rutland, 
i He could not be idle anywhere. He preached and 
visited, but his work was mere child's play in com- 
parison to his work in Brooklyn. His recuperative 
powers did not seem impaired in the least, and so he 
improved rapidly. We made our home with our sister, 



A CONSECKATED LIFE. 117 

Mrs. Boyle, but spent a part of each day at the home 
of our brother. As he was what his neighbors called, 
" well fixed," it was not necessary for him to give 
much of his time to his farm. In fact, he gave most 
of it to his brothers. We lived our early lives over 
again. We talked about " the kind-hearted neigh- 
bors" of our boyhood days, as John loved to call 
them. But in all our talks aboat the days that were 
gone, we did not praise the past at the expense of the 
present. And much as we loved dear old Ireland we 
did not look upon it as better than America, as each 
of us believed that the country of Washington is the 
best country on earth. We agreed in our political 
views as we did in our denominational preferences. 

When the time came for us to leave, John said to 
me as the train pulled out from the Rutland Station, 
"This visit among our kindred has been a blessed 
one, but we shall never again meet on earth," and so 
it has proved. 

While at Rutland, our nephews and nieces, as well 
as their parents, made every possible effort to make 
the visit pleasant. 

As William Henry was motherless and without 
either brother or sister, it was his father's wish that 
he might not remain unmarried as late in life as he 
had done, and as had been done by several of his 
Sheridan ancestors. Accordingly, he broke the record, 
and got married in the early part of his twenty-fourth 
year. He was married October 2, 1889, to Miss Susey 
Robinson. She was born in America, but her father 
was born on the County Mayo side of the Killala Bay. 



118 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

Thus, there was but a bay between the birth-places of 
the fathers of the young people, although they hailed 
from different counties. From the first, she was much 
beloved by her husband's father. She seemed more 
like a daughter to him than a daughter-in-law. On 
each anniversary of their wedding he dined with them 
and spent the evening at their home. On the fourth 
anniversary he was not well, and therefore sent them 
the following letter: 

"245 Carroll St., Brooklyn, Oct. 2, 1893. 
"My Dear Son and Daughter: 

11 It is a very great disappointment to me not to be 
able to be with you both, on this, the fourth anniver- 
sary of your wedding. Time has passed very rapidly, 
but not without having changes, which we did not 
think of or look for then. You have had annoyances 
of one kind or another, and sickness has visited your 
home but notwithstanding every change and trial, we 
all have reason to say that goodness and mercy have 
followed us thus far, and so this should be a joyful 
time, and a season of thanksgiving to the great Being 
from whom we have received so many blessings. We 
should be thankful for the goodness that has preserved 
our lives, and supplied our every want. I trust we 
are thankful for the children that God has graciously 
given to be a comfort to us all. And we have reason 
to be thankful for a desire to serve our God and 
Saviour, even though that desire may not be as strong 
as we could sometimes wish. I think of the two loved 
ones whom God has seen fit to hand over to you to 
bring up for him. My heart goes out in prayer for 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 119 

the gift of the Holy Spirit, who only can enable you 
to train them in the right way. You both have come 
into the heritage of a praying ancestry. May the 
dear little ones come into the same godly heritage 
directly from you. Please kiss them for me. 

"May your path be as that of the just, which is 
compared by the inspired writer to a shining light 
that shines more and more unto the perfect day." 

In a letter lately received from Mrs. Boyle she says, 
M I do not think he ever wrote a letter to me without 
acknowledging the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ ." 

The birth of the two grand daughters, Marion and 
Helen, seemed to have brightened his life. With his 
natural love for children, " it goes without saying," 
that he loved them, and they soon learned to return 
his love. It was not the will of God, however, that 
little Helen should remain with them very long. In 
January, 1895, her father went to Newfoundland on 
business. In his absence, his wife and two children 
were taken down with that terrible disease, diphtheria, 
and little Helen died, aged about twenty-two months. 
It fell to the lot of the grand father to break the sad 
news to his son on his return. It was a time of great 
sorrow to him as may be seen from the following 
extract from a letter to Mrs. Boyle, and dated April 
11, 1895: 
"My Dear Sister: 

11 Several weeks have passed since I received your 
very kind letter. Time seems shorter as the years go 
by so rapidly. When one enjoys reasonably good 
health and has more to do than can be easily attended 



120 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

to, weeks and months pass away rapidly. It is hard 
to realize that more than seven months have passed 
away since we saw each other (perhaps for the last 
time on earth). It was well that I could not then 
foresee the troubles through which I have had to pass 
since then. The sickness and death of my son's 
youngest child, and repeated attacks of the illness of 
his wife, have tried me very much. Although I would 
not bring little Helen back to this sinful world, I miss 
her very much. 

" Several persons from the Mission, of which I 
have charge, were baptized in the Strong Place 
Church, on March 31. It has pleased God to give me 
joy over against my sorrow." 

Some good men fail to get the love of their own 
kindred. Not so with him. We have seen how his 
father loved him and how his wife prized him. His 
son was proud of him as were his brothers and sisters. 
And his daughter-in-law richly deserved all the 
fatherly love that he bestowed upon her. She was in 
the Hanson Place Baptist Sunday School on January 
17, 1897, when word came to her that her husband's 
father had met with an accident, and had been carried 
to Long Island College Hospital. She went directly 
from the church to the hospital, and watched by him 
while life remained. She never closed her eyes in 
sleep until his eyes were closed in death at 11:20 
o'clock the next morning. Her husband had gone on 
another business trip to Newfoundland, thus bringing 
to her memory her sorrow of 1895, and also the faith- 
fulness of him who had been to her then a true father. 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 121 

John Sheridan looked upon all of his father's chil- 
dren as brothers and sisters to each other. He did 
not like to hear a word about half brothers or sisters, 
so far as our family was concerned. The younger 
portion of the family revered and loved him. He 
corresponded with them, and shared in their joys and 
in their sorrows. His brother Hugh looked to him 
as to a father in 1892, when his eldest daughter was 
taken from him by death, nor did he look in vain. 
Mary (Mamie) was a bright girl nearly eighteen years 
of age, upon whose education no small amount of 
money had been expended, and to whose future her 
parents looked with bright anticipations. Her death 
was a terrible blow to them. The sympathy of brother 
John was then highly prized. The following letter 
from Thomas gives a very good idea of the love that 
the younger portion of the family had for him. 
Thomas and Richard were born after their brother 
John went out from his father's home: 

" Carrowpaden Easkey, January 31, 1897. 
"My Dear Brother William: 

" The most grievous news that has ever reached the 
Sheridan home has arrived to-day, the news of the 
death of our senior brother, who was a father to us 
all. May the Lord help us to bear up against the 
terrible grief caused by losing so suddenly our tender- 
hearted and generous brother, whom we all prided in 
from our youth up. Our neighbors have always said 
that no greater man for the service of God and for his 
kindred has ever left his native land. We have lost 
our best earthly friend, but he died on duty while in 



122 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

the service of his precious Savious, whom he loved 
from his youth. ' Blessed are the dead which die in 
the Lord.' " 

Thomas occupies the old home. Hence the signi- 
ficance of the words, " The Sheridan home. 5 ' Letters 
received from sisters Eleanor and Mrs. Thomas Har- 
rison, are written in a tender, loving, Christian spirit. 
In a letter received from Hugh, he expressed much 
concern about Eleanor, who was warmly attached to 
her eldest brother, as she was brought to a saving 
knowledge of Christ through his instrumentality. In 
his letter Hugh said, " I have never known a sister 
who loved a brother as much as Eleanor loved her 
brother John." Now Hugh is full brother to Eleanor, 
while John had a different mother, yet there is no 
trace of jealousy. On the contrary, he believes that 
this was all right. Mrs Boyle, of Kutland, Iowa, was 
completely prostrated by the news. She is the eldest 
of the second family, and lived for a time with her 
brother John at Tourmakady. His brother Patrick 
was not in this life to unite with the other members 
of the family in mourning over the sudden death of 
one whom he loved most tenderly, but his widow and 
children shared in the great sorrow. His youngest 
daughter, Sarah (Sadie), was the first person from 
whom I heard by letter after her uncle's death. She 
then lacked one month of being eighteen years of age, 
and was supposed to be in good health. A little later 
11 quick consumption" set in, and on the twenty-sixth 
day of August following, she was taken to the house 
of many mansions. She stood high in her school and 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 123 

was determined to get the best education possible. 
Her dying request to her mother and her brothers 
John and William was that they would give her 
brother, Eichard Brinsley, four years her junior, a 
collegiate education. Her religious standing will be 
seen by the following lines from the pen of the Free 
"Will Baptist Minister, of Rutland, the Rev. J. B. Day. 
It was published in one of the county papers : 

(i Sadie Sheridan had for some time been an active, 
earnest Christian, finding her greatest delight in the 
service of her Master. Bright, sweet and pure, she 
won her way deep into our affections, and when the 
message went sadly from mouth to mouth, ' Sadie is 
dead,' the stores became silent, the fields were forsaken, 
while strong men and tender women wept in united 
bereavement. Oh, how we miss her! We loved her 
as few are loved/ 5 

It is remarkable how certain given names cling to 
certain surnames. The maiden name of the cele- 
brated General Sarsfield's maternal grandmother was 
Sarah Sheridan. 

When my brother John said, as we were leaving 
Rutland, in 1894, that we all would never meet again 
on earth, he supposed that he would be the first to 
die, as he was the oldest, but it was not so. After 
months of suffering from the grip and its effects, our 
Rutland brother died April 20, 1896. It was my 
privilege to be with him for several days, and to talk 
to him about Christ and his salvation, It was also 
my privilege to unite with him in prayer to the God 
of all grace. His sky was clear. There was not the 



124 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

shadow of a doubt with regard to the future. He 
could say with confidence, "I know whom I have 
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep 
that which I have committed unto him against that 
day." 

Like some other members of the family, he was 
very fond of children. Not long before his death a 
mother, with two little children, called and said, "My 
children wanted to see Mr. Sheridan, and cried bit- 
terly when I told them that he was too sick to be seen. 
To quiet them, I thought I would take them to the 
house, but, of course, I do not wish to have him dis- 
turbed." I took them to his room, not intending to 
speak to him, but when he heard the noise of our 
footsteps, he opened his eyes. He then spoke to each 
of the children by name, and shook hands with them. 
They were among the last, if not, indeed, the last, 
with whom he attempted to shake hands. He, too, 
was the children's friend. 

The following, from the pen of the Rev. S. H. 
Taft, a pioneer in the county of Humboldt, appeared 
in one of the county papers: 

" By the death of Mr. Sheridan, which occurred on 
Monday, April, 20, Humboldt County has lost one of 
its most worthy citizens, and the Christian Church a 
devoted and conscientious member. He was one of 
a large family, eight of whom, five brothers and three 
sisters, survive him. Two of his brothers are Baptist 
Ministers. He was a man of sterling integrity, with 
strong moral and religious convictions. He took an 
active part in the organization of the Baptist Church 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 125 

at Rutland. While a devoted member of that Church, 
his Christian sympathies were not bounded by theo- 
logical lines, but went out freely to all who possessed 
the spirit of love, and sought to bring in God's King- 
dom of righteousness and peace. The light of his 
Heavenly Father's love, as revealed in Jesus Christ, 
gave our brother strength and peace to the last. His 
funeral was largely attended by people from all parts 
of the county." 

He was for many years a Sunday School Superin- 
tendent. He was a Deacon of the Rutland Baptist 
Church, and its Clerk from its organization to his 
death. He was School Trustee, and took a deep 
interest in educational matters. For several years he 
was a Justice of the Peace. He had quite a penchant 
for law. In fact, he knew more about law than many 
who have followed that profession for a living. In 
pioneer days, before the lines were closely drawn, be 
frequently acted as advocate in the County Courts for 
those who got into trouble, although he was never 
admitted to the bar. He never charged for such ser- 
vices. Once he was the means of freeing a man who 
richly deserved punishment. When he returned to 
his home he spoke about it to his family, when one 
of his sons, not more then four or five years old, said, 
"Oh, pa, what did you do that for? You know that 
C. is a bad man." It would seem that the sense of 
justice is inherent, as is also the conviction that wrong- 
doing should be punished. He did it out of sympathy 
for the young man's family, yet he was more carefuL 
after that in " taking cases." 



126 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

It may seem to some of my readers that too much 
space is given to the kindred of John Sheridan, in 
this sketch of his life; but so much was he bound up 
in his relatives, and they in him, his biography could 
not be truly written without recognizing those who 
were near and dear to him. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



FRIENDSHIPS FORMED AND FRIENDS RETAINED. 

"VT7HAT may be called his capacity for acquaint- 
** anceship was truly marvelous, and usually 
acquaintanceship developed into friendship. He re- 
tained the friendship of those who in his earlier 
ministry were led to the Saviour through his instru- 
mentality, and in hundreds of instances, the children 
and grand-children of such were numbered among 
his sincere friends. A few days before his death he 
said, "Two young women who were at the Shining 
Light Mission, last Sunday evening, are the grand- 
children of a woman who died in the faith of the 
Gospel, in the place I left when I came to this 
country. She could not speak a word of English 
when I first met her." To keep up acquaintance, 
visits were made in all parts of Brooklyn, New York, 
and Jersey City, whilst many were reached by letter 
in distant portions of our own and in other lands. 
And such was his capacity for work that all this was 
done without interfering with his work in south 
Brooklyn. To the end he continued to form new 
acquaintanceships, and to retain the old. The present 
was as full of work and the future as full of hope at 
seventy as at forty. To keep up old friendships and 
to form new ones did not seem burdensome, He 
needed no memorandum book to aid him. He talked 



128 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

about his friends as if each of them was on his heart. 
The Rev. Mr. Stoddard speaks of him as " the per- 
sonal and loving friend of each of his pastors." Yes, 
and each of them was his friend. And what noble 
men Strong Place has had as pastors. E. E. L. 
Taylor, Wayland Hoyt, Gralusha Anderson, F. H. 
Kerfoot, N. E. Wood, and Frank P. Stoddard. He 
was in his seventieth year when Mr. Stoddard became 
Pastor of the Strong Place Church, yet his ability to 
form new friendships was in no sense impaired, as 
may be seen by the tender, loving words spoken of 
him by Pastor Stoddard, from whose journal the fol- 
lowing is given: 

11 Sunday, May 3, 1896. 

"To day I preached my second annual sermon in 
Strong Place. The Rev. John Sheridan assisted me 
in the administration of the Lord's Supper, as he did 
on the first Lord's day in May, 1894 and 1895. In 
1894 he extended the right hand of fellowship to Mrs. 
Stoddard, daughter Lillian, and myself. In speaking 
to-day, brother Sheridan said, ' It is just fifty years 
to-day since I received for the first time the Lord's 
Supper in Ireland. It is just thirty-nine years ago 
to-day since I was received into this Church, and par- 
took of the Supper for the first time here.' Brother 
Sheridan is a lovely man of God. He has been a 
great stay to me in this year of peculiar trials. He 
has stood by me and helped me as only a true brother 
and father in Israel knows how to help a brother 
whom he loves." 

When he first came to this country, he united with 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 129 

the Oliver Street Church, New York, now the Baptist 
Church of the Epiphany. I will say in passing, that 
I was baptized into the fellowship of that Church, 
although I was " born again " whiLe worshipping with 
the Baptists in my native parish. I was also licensed 
to preach and ordained by that Church. There was 
a very large council at my ordination. 

It is quite remarkable that up to the day of my 
brother John's death, no allowance seemed to have 
been made for his age either by himself or by others. 
Age did not seem to tell on him either mentally or 
physically, except in the color of his hair. On the 
first Sunday in January, 1897, a delightful anniversary 
time was enjoyed at the Shining Light Chapel. The 
Superintendent of the Brooklyn City Mission Society 
was present, and wrote an interesting account of it, 
which was published in the Mission Journal for 
February. It was written while the Missionary was 
still actively engaged in the Master's work, but when 
it appeared in print, his life-work was finished. In 
that report we read: 

" It seemed hard to realize that this Missionary, 
albeit his head was frosted with the snows of more 
than three-score and ten winters, still with form erect, 
with movements as agile, with eyes as bright as those 
of a young man, could have been working for the 
Master for more than fifty years. Only Eternity can 
reveal the mighty power for good, and the glorious 
results of a consecrated life." 

He was noted for the brightness of his eyes from 
his childood. He was what is sometimes called " far- 



130 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

sighted." When he crossed the Atlantic in 1877, he 
was the first man on the ship to see land. When I 
crossed in 1868, I was the first among the cabin pas- 
sengers to see the Donegal Mountains, not at first as 
mountains, however, but as a little speck peeping out 
of the waters. In my native place it often happened 
when the sea was calm that men would stand on the 
beach and look oat for the incoming ships. No 
matter how many men might be there, my father 
would be the first to see the distant ship. Tradition 
says that as long ago as the sixteenth century, during 
the wars between the English and the Irish, members 
of our family were sent at times to watch for the 
enemy, because they could see farther than other 
people. I am inclined to be skeptical with regard to 
much that is said about heredity, but there are things 
about it that I cannot explain away. 

When my brother John was about one year and 
eight months old, an intelligent Protestant family 
named Shannon, left Carrowpaden for America. A 
daughter of the family, Letitia, then about thirteen 
years of age, was extremely fond of baby John. When 
she kissed him good-bye she wept bitterly at the 
thought that she would never see him again. As the 
Shannons and the Sheridans had been on intimate 
terms, he heard a great deal about the family in his 
boyhood days, and especially about the affectionate 
girl who loved him as a baby. Her mother's brother, 
the good Mr. Faucett, spoken of elsewhere, frequently 
told him about the family, more especially when let- 
ters were received from them. A most interesting 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 131 

letter lately recived by me from John F. Little, Esq., 
a prominent lawyer, of Bath, N. Y., gives a sketch of 
that family, many of whose members have occupied 
honorable positions in society, whilst all have been 
respected. I copy the following: 

11 My mother's people were neighbors and friends 
of your family in Ireland, and many times have I 
heard her speak of the Sheridans with great respect, 
especially of your father. She lost all track of your 
family until some eight or nine years ago your brother 
was passing through this county and enquired for the 
Shannop. family. He then discovered that it was the 
same family that he knew of in other days. He made 
some enquiry by letter and finally came on here, and 
after that, was a welcome visitor and welcome at any 
time and as long as he could stay. I saw much of 
your brother, as he spent most of his time with 
mother, and they never ceased talking of old times, 
and never seemed to tire. His death was a matter of 
profound sorrow to us all, as he had left us not many 
months before. If you come this way we will all be 
glad to have you stop over and make us a visit." 

Mr. Little's mother is the Letitia Shannon who left 
Carrowpaden in 1826. Of her he speaks as follows: 

" My mother still lives, the last of her family. She 
is very feeble in body, but still bright and clear in her 
mind. She talks of her friends and acquaintances in 
Ireland. Nor is it the shadow of a vanished memory 
that has come back to her at parting; she never lost 
her mental grasp on things or events, and now at 
nearly eighty-five, she reads the papers and retains 



132 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

her interest in the coming war struggle, and in every- 
thing going on " 

As my brother was passing through that part of the 
State of New York, when the conductor announced 
" Bath," he said to himself, "This is surely the town 
in which the Shannons from Carrowpaden settled." 
He enquired of some of the incoming passengers if 
any of the name lived there now. The name of a Shan- 
non engaged in business was given him, to w T hom he 
wrote as soon as he reached Brooklyn. He proved to 
be a nephew to Mrs. Little. After some correspond- 
ence, Mr. Shannon called on him when he went to 
New York on business, and gave him such a pressing 
invitation to visit Bath that he could not refuse. 
After more than sixty years, "baby John," now a 
gray haired man, was seen once more by the affection- 
ate girl, now a highly honored lady about midway in 
her seventies. She not only saw him once more but 
had the privilege of hearing him preach the Gospel 
that she loved, and that has been loved by so many of 
her kindred on both sides of the Atlantic. Family 
friendships among the Irish, both Protestant and 
Roman Catholic, may be spoken of as sacred. If I 
should accept Mr. Little's kind invitation, I would be 
sure to receive a warm reception from his honored 
mother, although she left her native land before I was 
? born. I would be welcomed for the sake of those who 
are gone. 

My brother's visits to Bath brought sunshine to 
his soul, for there was a lady who kneio and loved his 
mother, who honored his father, and whose family and 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 133 

his had been on intimate terms for generations. His 
last visit to Bath was made in September, 1896. I do 
not see how he could be more free from race-prejudice 
than he was. It is certain that he had intimate and 
true friends among the representatives of many 
nationalities. And yet, there was a very tender place 
reserved in his large and warm heart for those whom 
he had known in Ireland, and for their kindred. 

His usefulness continued up to the moment that he 
had the fall that caused his death. In evidence of 
this I give the following interesting and touching 
letter received by the Eev. Mr. Stoddard from Alfred 
H. Porter, Esq., President of the Brooklyn City Mis- 
sion and Tract Society. It is dated January 21, 1897: 

11 I write to give you a little account of an incident 
which I judge was one of the last in which our dear 
friend, Mr. Sheridan, participated. An English 
family, living in Warren Street, w r as in great trouble. 
The wife and mother dead, an only son (a fine fellow) 
drowned a few months ago, one daughter sent since 
January first to the Home for Consumptives, and 
pronounced incurable, father and one daughter living, 
but the father so sick with rheumatism as to be 
unable to move in his bed. At the request of my 
daughter I visited the man January 6th, and decided 
that the hospital was the best place for him. In a 
little conversation I had with him, I saw he needed 
spiritual help, and knowing how sympathetic and 
wise Mr. Sheridan was in such cases, I wrote that 
day, calling his attention to the case. He received 
this letter on the morning of January 7th, and lost 



134 A CONSECKATED LIFE. 

no time in seeking it out. I now quote from his 
letter of January, 7, 1897, which letter, I need hardly 
say, I value too much to part with. He writes — 

1 I thank you most heartily for giving me the privi- 
lege of helping Mr. N. into clearer light. I soon 
learned that he wanted to do what seemed to be his 
duty, but confessed he was not ready to die. He 
listened, as for his life, to every verse of Scripture 
quoted by me. He thanked me for my visit, and for 
having made the way plain to his mind. He assured 
me that he could now trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 
for salvation, and seemed filled with joy when I was 
leaving the room. I prayed with him, and returned 
to my home with a thankful heart.' 

"Now follows what to my mind is a singular coin- 
cidence at least, if not the direct plan of the Master, 
by whose side Mr. Sheridan now stands. Three hours 
after his interview the man was in Long Island Col- 
lege Hospital, to be followed in so short a time by the 
unconscious form of him who had pointed him to the 
only way of salvation. And on Monday morning, at 
11:20, when the Master's voice bid Mr. Sheridan to 
come to his lovely presence, he left under the very 
roof from which he went this man as a testimony of 
his faithfulness and work for his Master. And now 
where is your Church or our Society to find another 
such a man and Christian brother?" 

So far as we know, this was the last person led to 
the Saviour by John Sheridan, through direct effort. 
The young man, spoken of elsewhere, who did not 
want his mother's priest, because he had the High 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 135 

Priest, even Jesus, was probably the first. Eternity 
alone will reveal the number led to the Saviour by 
him in the many years of successful effort that inter- 
vened between the time that he talked to his young 
friend on Carrowinrush beach, about the Way, the 
Truth and the Life, and the conversation held with 
Mr. N., in his home of affliction. 

This may be a fitting place to say that my brother 
was warmly attached to the Brooklyn City Mission 
and Tract Society, and to its Officers and Missionaries. 
He left the Society five hundred dollars as an evidence 
g£ that love. He also left five hundred dollars to the 
American Baptist Missionary Union, and five hun- 
dred dollars to the American Baptist Home Mission 
Society. 

Many of his Brooklyn friends know that at one^ 
time he owned a house on Court Street, yet very few 
of them know how it came to him. When he left 
Ireland, his plan was to buy a farm at Cascade, Iowa, 
and make his living by farming until Providence 
might open the way for him to give his time in full 
to the Master's work. The Lord had better things in 
etore for him than that, and so he never spent a day 
at farming in America. However, his brother Patrick, 
who came over with him, went to Iowa, and the land 
was purchased. A few years afterwards it was sold 
for about double the amount that it cost. The money 
received for his share was, by the advice of friends, 
invested in the Court Street property. About three 
thousand dollars was borrowed to complete the pay- 
ment. In time, the rent of the building paid off the 



138 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

indebtedness. And so the Court Street property came 
to him largely, directly and indirectly, through money 
he brought with him from Ireland. 

I will now quote from the Brooklyn City Mission 
Journal, for February, 1897: 

" This journal is issued under circumstances so 
peculiar that it can with propriety be called a " Mem- 
orial Number." One month ago we sent for our now 
sainted friend and brother, the Rev. John Sheridan, 
and told him, in view of his long and most efficient 
missionary labor, we desired to devote the greater part 
of the February journal to his work. With charac- 
teristic modesty he shrank from giving any personal 
details. The " Work," not the " Workman," had the 
brightest considerations in his mind. At our earnest 
entreaty he consented to allow his picture to be used, 
and also to give a brief sketch of his early life and 
ministrations. A few days later he brought in the 
sketch given in this number. We had a delightful 
interview. We little thought where our next meeting 
was to take place. 

'•' Brother Sheridan has ever been a constant, earnest 
worker, a kind and faithful friend. He met his death 
at the post of duty. 

" He left his home on Sunday morning, January 17, 
to distribute tracts and other religious literature 
among the shipping in our harbor. This labor of 
love accomplished, the remainder of the morning was 
to be spent in a preaching service on some ship or 
steamer. He was climbing up the ladder on the side 
of the steamer u Bramble," when he lost his footing 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 137 

and fell back upon the dock, his head receiving a 
fatal injury. He lived some twenty-four hours, but 
never recovered consciousness. If he could have 
chosen for himself, could he have had a more fitting 
conclusion to his missionary labors — to be taken thus 
suddenly from the church militant to the church 
triumphant? 

44 Doubtless, there were many who, through his 
instrumentality, had been led from darkness into light, 
to meet him at the Beautiful Gate, and that the 
Master's greeting was — Well done, good and faithful 
servant. 

"The Brooklyn City Mission Society has met with 
a great loss by the death of this Godly man. May 
his example incite us to renewed zeal and consecra- 
tion. God grant that his mantle may fall upon some 
young man who may take up the work of the Shining 
Light Mission.' ' 

Many of the items given in this biography are taken 
from the sketch thus alluded to. In the same number 
of the Journal we learn that three days previous to 
his death, when about to leave the home of a friend, 
the friend said to him, " Mr. Sheridan, be careful not 
to fall on the stairs, as the hall is dark." His answer 
was, " I am used to going about in dark places, and I 
never fall." The fatal fall so near was far from the 
thoughts of both. 

His death was spoken of in all the papers of New 
York and Brooklyn, and in many of them his unselfish 
life was eulogized. His works of faith and labors of 
love were spoken of in the Baptist papers all over the 



138 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

land, and in England and Ireland. The Examiner r 
of New York, in its issue of January 28, published an 
almost two-column article from the pen of his friend 
of many years' standing, the Rev. Dwight Spencer, 
D. D., and in the same issue, a communication from 
its Brooklyn correspondent, was also published. As 
many of the items given by Doctor Spencer are em- 
bodied in this work, I will quote only a part of what 
he wrote: 

" Conversions followed his labors everywhere, and 
the numbers led by him to Christ, on shipboard, in 
sick rooms, and while attending funerals, will only be 
known when the Lord comes to make up his jewels. 

" On Sunday morning, January 17, he went to fill 
an appointment to preach on the sailing vessel Bram- 
ble, lying at the Atlantic Docks, and in climbing the 
ladder to her deck, he slipped and fell ten feet to the 
pier, striking upon his head, and fracturing his skull. 
He was taken up unconscious, and removed to the 
Long Island College Hospital, where he died the fol- 
lowing Monday. 

" Upon coming to Brooklyn Mr. Sheridan united 
with the Strong Place Church, and the writer, being 
at that time Superintendent of its Mission Sunday 
School, now the Tabernacle Church, became very inti- 
mate with him, often ' taking sweet counsel together/ 
and devising plans for greater efficiency in our work. 
He was an incessant worker, as anxious to build up 
Christians in the faith as to lead sinners to Christ. 

" In his religious life he was devout, unswerving and 
hopeful. In doctrine he was Calvinistic, and never 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 139 

hesitated to let it be known where he stood. He 
knew the Bible almost by heart, studying it reverently, 
often upon his knees, and seldom did he hear a text 
quoted without being able to give the chapter and 
verse where it would be found. His labors were 
largely among the poor, and the recital of their suffer- 
ings, and their tears in affliction, never failed to 
awaken his sympathy. 

"Thousands can testify to the helpfulness of his 
pulpit ministrations. 

" His funeral, which was attended at Strong Place 
Church, January 20, was one of the largest ever 
known in the city. All classes united in expressions 
of grief at his death. The ministers of the different 
denominations of South Brooklyn assisted in the 
services. The severe storm had no terror for the 
thousands who had shared his sympathy and been 
blessed by his heavenly ministrations. Dr. Way land 
Hoyt, of Philadelphia, who was twice his pastor, 
spoke of his life of service and sacrifice for his Master, 
and Dr. H. L. Morehouse, of the Home Mission 
Society, of his interest in, and liberal gifts to, the 
work of missions. Weather-beaten mariners, the 
hard-handed sons of toil, women whose scanty apparel 
testified to their poverty, together with many repre- 
sentatives from the higher classes of society, all united 
in expressions of grief over the loss they had sustained 
in the death of Mr. Sheridan." 

The following is from the Brooklyn correspondent 
of the New York Examiner: 

11 Wednesday night was one of the stormiest of the 



140 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

year, but the Strong Place Church was crowded in 
every part and hundreds were turned away, on the 
occasion of the funeral services of * The friend of the 
sailor, the friend of the poor, the friend of the chil- 
dren, and the friend of all.' It is safe to say that 
sorrow has never been so general in South Brooklyn 
over any death as over his, and this not because of 
the manner of his taking away but because of the life 
of the man. Two men were overheard talking outside 
a saloon just after the service. One said, 'I have 
been to the funeral of your best friend, and my best 
friend, and the best friend of every man, woman and 
child in South Brooklyn.' The other responded, ' I 
didn't hear of his death till ten minutes ago, and how 
I would like to see him once more.' ' Well, go to the 
church in the morning, from 8 o'clock till 10, when 
all the children are going to look at him, and you'll 
see the same smile that he's brightened all these 
streets with for forty years, the smile of Father 
Sheridan.' 

'"In the church, the Scriptures were read by Kev. 
J. W. Gilland, of the Westminster Presbyterian 
church, and prayer was offered by Rev. Sydney Wel- 
ton. Dr. Wayland Hoyt, twice pastor of the church, 
said: 'I learned more from him than he ever learned 
from me.' Dr. A. H. Moment said: * John Sheridan 
was our pack-mule. No higher compliment could be 
paid. He bore all the burdens of all of us. He was 
like his Master.' Rev Job Gr. Bass, chaplain of Kings 
County Penitentiary, said: ' Our friend conducted 
more funerals (nearly 2,000) than any other clergy- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 141 

man in Brooklyn; and he always made the service a 
means of grace.' Dr. Henry L. Morehouse said: * His 
was a heroic spirit. Since New Year's Day he came 
to the Home Mission rooms and said, ' I have had it 
in my mind for some time to do something for our 
great missionary societies. I intend to do it before I 
go home to God. We know not what a day may bring 
forth, so I had better do it now,' and he laid down a 
cheque for $1,000— $500 for the Home Mission So- 
ciety and $500 for the Missionary Union. This was 
the offering of a city missionary.' " 

A letter from the Rev. Doctor Osgood was published 
in the same uumber of the Examiner as the above, 
which shall be given later on. 

That which is spoken of as a smile, strictly speak- 
ing was not really a smile. A little girl who spoke of 
him as " The man with the lighted up face," saw that 
the brightened countenance meant more than a smile, 
and his kindly, bright blue eyes had much to do with 
the brightening of the countenance. His bright open 
look was the means in the hands of God of saving his 
life while engaged in Mission work in West Connaught. 
There was a pious blacksmith — pious in his way — who 
was greatly disturbed over the influence that the 
young Missionary was exerting over the young men 
of the community in which he lived, He soon con- 
vinced himself that he would be doing God's service 
in putting the young " heretic " out of the way. One 
day as he passed by the blacksmith's shop, that Saul 
of Tarsus said to himself, "Now is my chance.'* 
Seizing a hammer in his right hand, and placing his 



142 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

hand under his leather apron, he hurried after the 
" heretic." As the Missionary heard the footsteps, he 
natarally turned round, and all unconscious of danger, 
greeted the blacksmith in his kindly manner. By 
this time, the man's arm hung nerveless by his side. 
The open, kindly look of the young Missionary was 
too much for him. As he looked into the Missionary's 
countenance, he said to himself, " I cannot kill that 
young man. He is honest and cannot mean to do 
any one harm." He then resolved to read the Bible 
for himself, and that proved fatal to his Romanism. 
He became truly pious, and was one of the many warm 
friends that John Sheridan left in his native land 
when he came to America. 

David said of Jonathan, " His love to me was 
wonderful." It can be said truthfully, that the love 
which existed between Doctor Osgood and John 
Sheridan was wonderful. It increased in ardor during 
their long acquaintance with each other. The follow- 
ing letter from Doctor Osgood to Deacon George B. 
Forrester, was published in the Examine}' of January 
28, 1897: 

" For more than forty years he has been to me one 
of the most eminent believers in, and faithful follow- 
ers of, the Lord Jesus I have ever known. I thank 
God from the depths of my soul that he ever blessed 
me with his acquaintance and his friendship. A 
strong mind, unceasing searching of the Scriptures to 
know the mind of Christ, strong, tender love to Jesus, 
and a close walk with him in his heart and work, with 
the blessing of the Saviour's gifts to him, made him 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 143 

such a Christian that few can be compared to him. 
That he found his death wound in the midst of his 
loved employment is another mark of the true soldier 
that he was. It was so with his loved Master." 

It was fitting that this letter should find its way to 
the public through Deacon Forrester, as he and his 
estimable wife had been warm friends of John Sheri- 
dan for many years. 

The following tender, loving letter was received 
by me: 

Rochester, N. Y., January 25, 1897. 
"My Dear Brother: 

" The Saviour has taken to himself his faithful fol- 
lower. He met his death on a field of battle that 
required a far higher kind of courage than to stand 
before cannon. In all my life I have never met one 
more devoted in heart and mind and body to him who 
died for him, He never feared the face of man to tell 
him of the love and grace of Christ. I have met with 
many who have had great names as Bible scholars, 
but John Sheridan will remain before me as standing 
at the head, — far beyond most Bible readers that I have 
known. And all his knowledge of that Word was 
the outcome of his love of Christ, who first loved him. 

" How much I owe to him I shall never know in 
this world, but it is beyond telling. I thank Grod 
from my heart that he ever gave me the privilege of 
knowing such a faithful servant of Christ, and that he 
was willing to call me his friend. Your brother was 
a Prince with God, and that is the only nobility that 
lasts beyond this fleeting hour. 



144 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

"May the comfort of the tender hand and heart of 
Jesus be with you. 

" Very truly yours, 

" Howard Osgood." 

We will realize something of the value of the above 
eulogy if we bear in mind that Doctor Osgood was 
one of the American Revisers of the Canterbury Re- 
vision of the Scriptures, and that he is now looked up to 
and revered by Evangelical Christians of all denomi- 
nations as the great champion of the Bible against 
the fierce attacks of the so-called " Higher Critics." 

In a letter to my nephew, W. H. Sheridan, dated 
February 2, 1897, Doctor Osgood says: 

" It is a great honor from God to be the son of such a 
father. He was ennobled by God to the innermost ranks 
of those who serve the Lamb and follow Him wherever 
he goeth. He has been to me a noble example of a 
true Christian believer and worker, a high type of the 
refinement of soul which following Christ brings." 

The following from Doctor Weston I value very 
highly: 

"In the course of my life I have been acquainted 
with many persons who took pleasure in being bene- 
factors to their fellow men, but I have rarely seen one 
who seemed to approach more closely the standard of 
greatness announced by our Lord, than the Rev. John 
Sheridan; 'he that will be greatest among you, let 
him be the servant of all.' This distinctive character- 
istic of Christianity pervaded his whole life, and 
moulded all his being. 

" Henry G. Weston." 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 145 

In a letter of condolence to me, Doctor Weston 
said, " I sympathize with you in the loss of your 
brother. Few men have such a brother to lose. I 
think there is no greater honor on earth than to be 
allied to just such unworldly characters as he." 

The Rev. Henry G.Weston, D.D., L.L.D., has been 
the honored President of the Crozer Theological Sem- 
inary ever since it was organized in 1868. He is 
known throughout our denomination and to thousands 
of others, as a man of great mental vigor and of ripe 
scholarship. In addition to this, he is known to those 
who are favored with his friendship as a man whose 
possessions in the domain of the heart are very great. 
Doctor Weston has been loved and honored as but 
few men have been loved and honored. My success 
in the Ministry may, under God, be largely attributed 
to the encouragement given me by him when he was 
my Pastor in New York City. And his continued 
friendship I have ever valued above silver or gold. 
Times without number have I said in my heart, u God 
bless Doctor Weston." 

Many dear Christian friends, some of whom had never 
seen my brother John, wrote tenderly and soothingly 
to me when they read about his death in our religious 
papers. One such letter I insert. It is from a 
valued friend, the Rev. George E. Leonard, D. D., 
Corresponding Secretary of the Ohio Baptist Con- 
vention: 

u Before I received your letter, I read the articles 
in the Examiner about your brother. Having been 
engaged in work outside of my reading, I had not 



146 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

known much about him. He must have been a noble 
man. But this is not hard for me to believe, since 1 
know so well the work of faith and labor of love of 
his brother. You have a rich inheritance in the 
memory of his noble and useful life. But the same 
might be said to him had you been taken away and 
he survived. May God bless you, my brother. No 
Minister has ever died in Toledo of whom more kind 
words will be said, or at whose funeral a larger number 
of mourners attended than will be called forth by the 
closing of your earthly career. r 

The Rev. Doctor Middleditch, an intimate friend 
for many years, wrote to one of the Baptist papers of 
England, the London Freeman. The article was 
copied as follows by the Irish Baptist Magazine, 
for March, 1897: 

"THE SHERIDANS OF SLIGO. 

11 The Sheridans of Easkey, county Sligo, have 
played an important part in the advancement of the 
Kingdom of Christ — in Sligo years ago, and in recent 
years in America. We regret to learn of the death 
of John Sheridan, who died in Brooklyn, in January 
last. Both he and his brother were constant sub- 
scribers to our Magazine, and took a deep interest in 
the Irish Baptist Home Mission. We tender to the 
sorrowing brother, Rev. Wm. Sheridan, of Toledo, 
Ohio, our deepest sympathy. 

" Our good friend, Dr. Middleditch, late editor of 
The Christian Enquirer, New York, has sent the 
following communication to The Freeman: 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 147 

" Sometimes doubt is expressed as to the result of 
Irish Mission work. Nearly fifty years ago, a young 
man named John Sheridan was converted at Easkey, 
county of Sligo, and baptized by William Hamilton. 
After some time he emigrated to America. There he 
was ordained as a Baptist Minister, and for forty years 
served as a City Missionary in Brooklyn, N. Y. On 
Sunday morning, January 17, in climbing a ladder 
on the side of a vessel where he was to preach, he 
fell, fractured his skull, and the next day died. It is 
doubtful if the death of any minister in the city 
would have caused such general sorrow. He estab- 
lished Sunday-schools and preached the Word when- 
ever opportunity offered. Immigrants he was con- 
stantly searching for and bringing into churches. 
His ministries to the poor were especially wise and 
helpful. Such was the reverence in which he was 
held that he could go into the very worst slums sure 
of immunity from insult. During his ministry he 
officiated at some 1,700 funerals. 

" He lived in the most frugal manner, that he might 
be able to give to others and for missions. In the 
last month of his life he devoted his savings of a 
thousand dollars to home and foreign missions. At 
his funeral the testimonies which Presbyterian, Con- 
gregational and Baptist pastors bore to the value of 
his work were of the most appreciative character. In 
the great crowd at his funeral were hundreds of the 
poor to whom he had ministered. All sorts and con- 
ditions of people gave token of their sorrow. He 
was in his seventy-third year, but so remarkably 



148 A CONSECEATED LIFE. 

vigorous that he might have been expected to continue 
in active service for years. 

" One of his brothers, Rev. William Sheridan, has 
been a Pastor in Toledo, Ohio, for a quarter of a cen- 
tury. He was also converted in county Sligo, and has 
been very successful in Christian work. He has bap- 
tized over 400 converts in Toledo. It is impossible 
to tell how far-reaching the results of the conversion 
of these two brothers must be. Let it be remembered 
that they were both led to Christ through the old 
Irish Baptist Mission." 

"Pastor William Hamilton, referred to by Dr. 
Middleditch, closed his ministry at Carrickfergus, 
where he is still remembered with gratitude as a loyal 
servant of our great Captain, Christ/' 

John, Patrick, and myself, and some of the younger 
members of the family, have always believed that our 
father was the direct means of leading us to the Lord 
Jesus Christ, but it was through the Irish Baptist 
Society that the little Baptist Church at Easkey was 
enabled to maintain its visibility. In fact, it was 
through the instrumentality of that Society that the 
Church was organized. When its aid was withdrawn 
the little flock scattered. If the Society had never 
taken up work in that part of Ireland, it is quite cer- 
tain that we would not have been Baptists. That the 
Bible has been more to us because of our Baptist 
training than it otherwise would have been, I have no 
doubt. Our debt of gratitude to the Irish Baptist 
Society has therefore been very great. 

A few days after the money that Doctor Middleditch 



A CONSECRATED LIFE, 149 

speaks of was given to our Missionary Societies, and 
therefore but a few days before his death, my brother 
wrote to me as follows: 

" An Irish Methodist said to me recently, ' Some 
people do not like the doctrine of election, but your 
life and mine look like it. 5 As I look back, I cannot 
help believing more and more in God's electing love, 
and because of this, I love to give some of His money 
which comes into my possession, to His cause. I 
have given the amounts named in my last, $500.00, to 
each Society." Before he gave the money, he told 
me what he thought of doing, and requested me to 
tell him what I thought of it. All through life 
we conferred with each other in all our plans and 
purposes. 

The following is from the Journal and Messenger, 
our Ohio Baptist paper : 

"Rev. John Sheridan, an elder brother of our Rev. 
William Sheridan, of Toledo, died, January 18, of 
injuries received in a fall, while boarding a ship in 
Brooklyn harbor. He was a member of the Strong 
Place Baptist Church, and had long been esteemed as 
one of the best City Missionaries known in great 
cities. He became a Christian in early life, and while 
yet a young man met with decided success in mission 
work in his own country. In 1857 he became identi- 
fied with mission work in Brooklyn, in which he con- 
tinued till his death, which he met while in the per- 
formance of his duty. Few men were more highly 
esteemed for their works' sake, and at the same time 
for their own sake. Our sympathies go out to our 



150 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

Brother William Sheridan, because of the loss sus- 
tained by him,'' 

Most of the papers, secular and religious, spoke of 
his funeral as the most remarkable that had ever been 
held in south Brooklyn, or, indeed, in any part of 
Brooklyn. To me it seemed exceedingly strange. It 
was the funeral of a man who deplored extravagance 
on such occasions, and yet no money was spared to 
show the respect that all present believed to have been 
his due. There was, for instance, a wealth of flowers,, 
spontaneously contributed, such as is not often seen. 
In the coffin lay the remains of a man whose opinion 
of himself was very humble, and who actually felt 
grieved when high praise was given him in his 
presence; but those who spoke at his funeral could 
not find language strong enough to express their 
admiration for the life just ended, so far as earth is 
concerned, nor was it possible for them to eulogize 
that " glorious life " too highly in the estimation of 
those who made up that great congregation. At the 
close of the services, such remarks as the following 
were made to me: " Your brother deserved all that 
was said in his praise, and a great deal more." "It 
would be impossible to say too much in your brother's 
praise." " It would be impossible to speak of your 
brother's life and work without praising him." 

More and more am I inclined to believe that the 
Master whom he served was more highly honored in 
his sudden death than he would, have been if death 
had come after a lingering illness. I am very sure 
that if he knew he was going to die, he would have 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 151 

requested that no word of praise would be uttered at 
his funeral, and that the funeral itself would be of 
the simplest kind. As it was, the members of the 
Strong Place Church were at liberty to manifest their 
great love for a faithful servant of God, and their 
Pastor and other Ministers of the Gospel were free 
to speak as the feelings of their hearts prompted. 
In this way, the grace of God was magnified in his 
death as it could not have been if his loving Christian 
friends had been under restraint. 



CHAPTER IX. 



FUNERAL ADDRESSES, ETC. 



Prom the Strong Place Journal, of February, 1897: 

" The funeral of Rev. John Sheridan was held in 
the Strong Place Baptist Church, on Wednesday 
evening, January 20, at 8 o'clock. 

" The building was too small to hold the people who 
wished to pay respect to this dear man of God. Many 
were turned away. 

" In entering the church the procession was headed 
by the Pastor and Sexton of the church, followed by 
the brethren who were to participate in the services 
of the evening. 

" The Deacons and Trustees of the church, together 
with representatives of the Shining Light Mission, 
acted as pall bearers, six of whom bore the casket. 

" These were followed by the immediate family. 
As the casket, entirely covered with flowers, was 
borne down the central aisle, the great congregation 
rose as by a common impulse and remained standing 
until the casket was in place. 

" The services began with prayer by Rev. Sidney 
Welton, former pastor of the Centennial Church of 
Brooklyn. 

"The Rev. J. W. Gilland, Pastor of Westminster 
Presbyterian Church, read part of the 25th chapter 
of Matthew, and the choir sang. 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 153 

"The Pastor then said: 'A good man has entered 
into his reward. I doubt if any man living in the 
city of Brooklyn has more personal friends than our 
departed brother. Brother John Sheridan was a man 
who believed in the local church, He was a man 
always and eminently true to his Pastor and his home 
church, Here for forty years he has lived and labored. 
Here he has been loved and honored by all who knew 
him. It is fitting therefore that one who also knew 
him most intimately during his pastorate here should 
speak on behalf of this church. The Rev. Wayland 
Hoyt, D.D.j of Philadelphia, needs no introduction 
to this audience.' " 

ADDRESS BY DR. WAYLAND HOYT. 

" I think the manner of his taking off was singular 
grace. Accident we call it, but ' accident ' means that 
which falls to us, and be you sure that nothing shall 
fall to one of God's children, except God be Himself 
somehow in it concerned. 

" I remember one bitter morning after a bitter night, 
I was passing into the study gate, and as I put my foot 
in the path that leads to the study in the church, my 
eye fell on a frozen sparrow. It came to me with a 
sort of overwhelming feeling, that the sparrow caught 
in the bitter cold the night before, had not been caught 
in it except God knew about it, for not even a sparrow 
falleth without the Father's knowledge, and be you 
sure no servant of the Lord falls except somehow in 
his fall, God's hand is in it. 

" I think the manner of his taJdng off was singular 



154 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

grace. ' I wish that my ashes might lie by the banks 
of the Seine, among the French people whom I have 
loved so well,' the great Napoleon said. I think that 
Mr. Sheridan's deepest wish was that he might fall as 
he did, fall amid the work he did so well (though he 
would not have said that); and the work he loved so 
deeply. 

" How changes come! Last Friday night he was in 
this church, leading God's people in their petitions; 
to-night his body is here, but he is yonder; no longer 
a member of the church militant, but a member of 
the church triumphant. 

" The ivy used to cling thickly around the walls of 
this church, and to those who have known it long, how 
thickly from every corbel and from every arch, and 
from every pew and from every window, and from 
gallery and from organ loft cling and cluster thickly 
memories and associations. As I stand here for a 
moment, and look upon this church, which for so 
many years has been so dear to me, and through 
which, as through a vestibule, so many of my old 
friends have passed to where the gates of pearl swing 
inward, and they stand in the Lord in the utmost 
light, there is no place in the church and there is no 
familiar face I see looking out upon me from this 
throng that is not somehow associated with Mr. 
Sheridan. 

"I remember how he used to come into the prayer 
meeting on a Friday night, with such a light upon his 
face, and I remember how out of the roll he had been 
doing for the Lord that day, he would tell some inci- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE 155 

dent, and he would set in the incident some truth 
precious and shining. 

" How he loved this church! How steady he was 
to it! Well, after all, a man cannot invest his life 
better than in a church. While I speak, I remember 
one who was once a member of this church, and who 
recognizing his stewardship toward Jesus Christ, in 
the days of his prosperity gave much money for the 
Lord's cause, and then disaster fell on him. and he 
was caught in great straits, and he said to me, " Pastor, 
all the money I have given for the Lord, I have kept; 
the rest I have lost." How wise was his investment. 
How wise for any man to invest in the Church of 
Jesus Christ. How much the church was to Mr. 
Sheridan, and reactively, how much Mr. Sheridan 
was to this church. A man who taught me many a 
time; a man at whose feet I do most gladly sit; a man 
whom in times of difficulty, I myself have thought 
of — his strong, steady, purposeful carriage of himself 
amid how many difficulties; a man who taught me 
vastly more than I ever taught him; a man with whom 
I walked for many a year, in sweetest counsel and in 
most intimate and brotherly fellowship. 

"I honor him! This church honors him! This 
great throng of people, representing so many classes 
and so many interests, honors him! He is worthy of 
such honor. He was a true servant of Jesus Christ. 
But he is here no longer; that which shall be buried 
to-morrow is not him, it is only * it .' It is only that 
in which he dwelt for so many years, and through 
which he served his Lord so steadily and so nobly. 



J 56 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

He is not in that casket; he is with the Lord in Para- 
dise. 

" May we who stood with him in church relation « 
ship, may we who knew him and who loved him, may 
we get high and noble contagion from his example; 
may we determine to follow him as he followed Christ. 

" There can be for us no better destiny than that 
there shall be ministered to us such as has surely been 
ministered to him, when for him the gates of pearl 
swung inward, and sweeter than the music of the 
angels, he heard the welcome of his Lord, ■ Well done, 
good and faithful servant; enter into thy Lord's joy ' " 

11 While Brother Sheridan gave the first place in his 
heart to the church of which he was a member; while 
he will be greatly missed by us all, here in his home; 
yet his was too large a life to be shut within the nar- 
row limits of a single church. 

"This community felt the touch of his powerful 
influence for Christ. Here he went about doing good. 
Wherever he found a needy life or home, there, like 
his Master, he put forth his hand to help. The Rev. 
Alfred H. Moment, D. D., who has known him in the 
most intimate manner for many years, will speak on 
behalf of the people of South Brooklyn." 

ADDRESS BY DR. A. H. MOMENT. 

11 'All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all 
ye that know his name, say, how is the strong staff 
broken and the beautiful rod!' You recognize these 
words as coming from the Good Book, to which we 
go in our sins seeking for pardon, to which we go in 



A CQNSECEATED LIFE. 157 

our doubts and perplexities that the clouds may lift 
and the matter be cleared up, to which we go in our 
sorrows and broken-heartedness for consolation and 
strength and hope, and to which also we go for words 
to express the tenderest emotions of our hearts regard- 
ing those men and women that God has so abundantly 
blessed. When Jesus said of John the Baptist, he 
was a ' burning and a shining light,' what expressive 
terms he gave us by which to speak of others who 
have been filled with the light of life, like the fore- 
runner of the world's blessed Saviour. When Luke 
wrote of Barnabas as a man ' full of faith and the Holy 
Ghost,' what grand words he gave us by which to 
speak of other disciples of Jesus Christ, having like 
Barnabas, true confidence in God and a true power 
among men. When the sacred biographer said of 
King David, ; He died in a good old age, full of days, 
riches and honor,' there was a touch of real poetry 
like a light coming down through the ages, to be used 
by other biographers and eulogists and ministers, in 
saying something worthy of those gifted and sainted 
men and women who depart in ripe years; and in this 
exclamation of the prophet of Judah, 'All ye that 
know his name, say, how is the strong staff broken, 
and the beautiful rod,' we have words by which to 
express the feelings of our hearts, and express them 
too, a thousand times better than by anything of our 
own invention — that which we feel of those servants 
of God who have lived with us and among us, proving 
themselves strong and beautiful and true, and whose 
departure fills our eyes with true tears of sorrow. 



158 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

"I knew Mr. Sheridan; I have known him for 
eleven years. I knew him to love him, to have confi- 
dence in him, and to talk confidentially with him; and 
as I thus knew him — knew the man — I know of no 
words even in this book of sacred thought and sacred 
expression, that more fully set forth what this com- 
munity, what we all, believe concerning him, than 
these words, i All ye that are about him, bemoan him; 
and all ye that know his name, say, how is the strong 
staff broken, and the beautiful rod!' ' All ye that are 
about him, bemoan him.' I speak for myself. About 
four o'clock last Saturday, I had a delightful call 
from my deceased brother. He was calling at the 
house where I live, to see a parishioner of his. I 
always came in for a half-hour of his time, of his 
encouraging words; and then, less than twenty hours 
after that, I heard from a member of his church, of 
the accident, and when I went in the evening to the 
hospital, to make personal inquiry about him, I can 
only say that I felt in my heart that a friend and true 
brother, one dearly beloved, seemingly was about to 
depart. I am sure that my own feelings express the 
feelings of the members of the sister churches round 
about this part of South Brooklyn, and these homes, 
many of them connected with no church, all through 
this part of the city, my feeling is their feeling. I 
heard of a prayer-meeting which was held in this 
church on Morday evening — which was to be a preach- 
ing service, but the pastor wisely turned it into a 
prayer-meeting — there was one thought; there was 
one feeling; the meeting was a great tear, all standing 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 159 

about him, bemoaning him. This is what speaks in 
every society, in every interest which brother Sheri- 
dan represented, wherever he was known there has 
been this sorrow; there is this sorrow; and it is a 
sorrow somewhat akin and of equal quality with that 
of those poor widow women who gathered about the 
lifeless form of Dorcas, with tears not as hired mourn- 
ers, but tears of gratitude; that is our sorrow. We 
are here to-night to think of him, and we can enter 
into the spirit of the prayer with which this service 
opened, we thank our Heavenly Father for the life he 
lived, and our bemoaning to-night is the bemoaning 
of hearts of gratitude. 

u The gifted prophet of Judah helps us to go farther 
— 'All ye that know his name, say, how is the strong 
staff broken, and the beautiful rod/ I listened to the 
pastor of this church yesterday in the afternoon, tell- 
ing how during the years of his pastorate here, he has 
leaned upon brother Sheridan. How he has gone to 
him under all circumstances, at all times, with small 
matters, and weighty matters, and how he has ever 
found him one wise, discreet, kind, thoughtful, able 
to help him, a ' strong staff' upon whom he has been 
leaning. I once said to my esteemed brother Dr. 
Wood, ' You have a splendid man down there in 
Strong Place Church, Brother Sheridan.' * Oh, yes/ 
said Dr. Wood, 'John Sheridan is Strong Place 
Church's pack mule; we all put our burdens on him/ 
The late Dr. Deems once said to me, ' The greatest 
compliment I have ever had in all my pastorate in 
J^ew York, was when a man said to me, 'Dr, Deems, 



160 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

you are the pack mule of New York. You are bearing 
every person's burden.' That is what I want to be; 
ray Master was a burden-bearer; I want to be a burden- 
bearer. That was his life during these long years, in 
this church, this community, this city, that is what 
Brother Sheridan was. When I came here, a member 
of the Westminster church was sick, had long been 
sick; she never listened to a sermon from me; she 
never got to church; almost weekly, Brother Sheridan 
attended her. She looked for his visits, she thought 
of them; how she leaned upon his words of exhorta- 
tion, his prayers, Bible readings, sweet counsel, his 
encouraging words. To that poor woman, shut in 
month after month, and year after year, Mr. Sheridan 
was a daily, a weekly, a constant support to her spirit, 
to her hope, to her last earthly days. He was that to 
every person. 

" He was a man of strong character; he was strong 
physically, a man of good health; he lived regularly, 
he lived in the very best way; he lived as every man 
ought to live; he slept well, he ate well, he knew how 
to rest, he knew how to work. He was a strong man 
physically and a strong man mentally. He was a man 
of wide reading. He knew what was going on in the 
affairs of the church — his church and other churches. 
If Brother Sheridan had not been a converted man, 
being a man with such intense convictions, he would 
have been a very stubborn man; he was not a stubborn 
man. Men who have faith alone are apt to be stub- 
born, and are often the most disagreeable people in 
the community. He had love, he loved God and he 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 161 

loved man, and when you put these three things 
together, you have not a stubborn man, you have a 
Christian — knowledge of God and love of God and 
faith in God. He was a man who had that faith thus 
rendered intelligent; a faith that stood by him; more 
than a faith in God, faith in His Word the Bible, the 
whole Bible, faith in the work of the church, faith in 
the work he himself was doing. He was a man strong 
in the faith of spiritual realities. This was the man 
upon whom we placed our burdens, upon whom this 
community placed its burden for these long years — 
not this church only, all these churches round about; 
and to so many of these families, non-church, in their 
poverty, in their sorrow, in times of death and per- 
plexity, Brother Sheridan was a friend and a true 
brother. He was a ' beautiful rod.' 

"On one of my vacations, when I returned, I found 
a new family in the Westminster church ; a splendid 
family from the northeast coast of Scotland; well-to-do 
there, here in poverty, without friends in a strange 
land — sickness death — and that mother afterwards 
said to me, ' Why, Brother Sheridan came into our 
home like an angel of light.' That expressed it, ' like 
an angel of light.' He did not ask the people to come 
to Strong Place Baptist Church; no, he loved his 
church, he was loyal to his denomination, but there 
was nothing of the sectarian about him; he placed 
people where they belonged, where they would receive 
according to their convictions, their education, their 
early training, their desires, perhaps the most good. 
He was ' an angel of light,' 



162 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

" I was one evening walking up Court street in com- 
pany with a young man, a member of my congrega- 
tion. I met Mr. Sheridan; we stopped and I intro- 
duced the young man to Brother Sheridan. As we 
stood talking, he turned to the young fellow, and said, 
'Well, I suppose you are one of Dr. Moment's strong 
supporters.' 'No,' I said, 'he is not a Christian; I 
wish he was; I have been trying to make him a Chris- 
tian; he may be a Christian, but he does not belong 
to the church.' Now, he turned to that young man 
and said a few direct, sweet, gentle words, words like 
those that Solomon speaks of, * apples of gold in 
pictures of silver,' appropriate expressions at the time. 
At the next communion that young man came forward. 
I was glad to tell Brother Sheridan about it; I believed 
then, I believe now — and I mentioned it to him the 
other day when he called on me — the few direct, 
appropriate, timely words, beautifully spoken, brought 
the young man to the Saviour. 

" I remember very well, when my own dear mother 
passed away, and I hurried off from the city to attend 
her funeral, when Brother Sheridan heard where I 
was and why I was away, he sat down and wrote me a 
letter, and that was a letter written by one who knew 
what it was to lose a mother; a Christian man who 
had lost a mother, writing to a brother whose heart 
was broken; what tender, sweet, direct, lovable words; 
but that is what he could do! There was a beautiful- 
ness inside, that came out in the twinkle of his eye, 
in the beam of his countenance, in his words, in what 
he did and said. 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 163 

" Reference to-night has been made here to his love 
of children, almost a passion with him — a beautiful 
passion, dear friends. He was so fond of my little 
daughter. I remember once after one of those delight- 
ful half-hours with him, when he went away, my little 
daughter said, ' I like Mr. Sheridan, he is a nice man/ 
And the last word he said to me last Saturday after- 
noon, as he left me and went upstairs to make another 
call, was, ' Send my love to Julia.' That is the man, 
the old and the young, the rich and the poor, all alike 
came in for his thought and for his sympathy, for his 
kind words and for his noble and beautiful character; 
beautiful in his humility, beautiful in the simplicity 
of his life, above all things, beautiful in this, that he 
was good, that he did good. 

" ' All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all 
ye that know his name, say, how is the strong staff 
broken, and the beautiful rod! ' " 

"For a little more than forty years he had been 
connected with the Brooklyn City Mission and Tract 
Society, In this capacity his influence has been felt 
in no small degree throughout this entire city. The 
Rev. Job G. Bass, a co-worker with him for many 
years, will speak on behalf of the society, which 
they have served and honored in the name of our 
common Lord," 

ADDRESS BY REV. J. BASS. 

" I wish I could give expression to the thougnts 
that are in my heart. It is about thirty-two years, I 
think, since I became acquainted with Brother Sheri- 



16-4 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

dan, and our companionship has been not only 
friendly, but brotherly and sweet. He has left his 
impression upon the Brooklyn City Mission and 
Tract Society. He will not very soon be forgotten. 
by us. We will long remember the Christian courtesy 
of the man. How often he has laid his hands on us, 
one and another, and has said something to encourage 
us in our work. 

44 To my mind, he comes as near a perfect man as 
it is possible for a man to be in this world of ours. 
Who that has known and has listened to him, can 
forget how reverently and affectionately he spoke of 
the Son of God, as ' our Lord Jesus Christ,' and 
referring to the church, as the ' Church of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ?' And he always im- 
pressed us in the City Mission, as a methodical man, 
a man not now here and now there on some pretense, 
but he always had work to do, work laid out. There 
are a great many men that think the Lord has called 
them to work, and that they are looking for the work 
to do, but he believed that if God Almighty called 
him to work, he would find the work wherever he 
was. I believe he has attended more funerals in the 
city of Brooklyn, than any other clergyman in the 
city, and he made every funeral a means of grace. 
He became acquainted with the people; he cultivated 
| their acquaintance, and followed them up. He could 
tell of grandfathers and of mothers and of grandsons 
that had been converted through his instrumentality " 
" As Dr. Moment said, he was a man that believed 
something, and that man, I think, is a little above 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 165 

par, in these days of skepticism, who believes some- 
thing. He had strong faith in what he believed. I 
know in whom I have believed ; and although he and 
I differ in church beliefs, we were very close together, 
and I feel for myself and for my brethren and sisters 
of the City Mission, that we have lost a dear friend 
and counselor. But we rejoice in the way that God 
took him. He died with the harness on, there at his 
post. I want to die just that way, if God will let me, 
with the harness on. 

" I remember, when a boy, I heard in the Episcopal 
Church, an ordination sermon from the text, ' Be thou 
faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of 
life.' That was what Brother Sheridan worked for. 
I pray that God may send great mercy upon our Mis- 
sionary Society and upon all the Churches of our 
Lord Jesus Christ through Brother Sheridan's life 
and death." 

The Rev. Doctor Moorehouse, representing the 
American Baptist Home Mission Society, made an 
address, the substance of which is given elsewhere, 
and a letter was read from the Rev. Doctor Chivers, 
then District Secretary of the American Baptist Mis- 
sionary Union, now Secretary of the Young People's 
Baptist Union of America. Among other things, he 
said: 

" He looked upon men through the eyes of Christ; 
he felt for men with something of the compassion of 
Christ; and like his Master, he translated vision and 
feeling into deeds of beneficence, and went about 
doing good. 



166 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

" May the spirit that moved him take possession of 
the hearts of others, and the work which he loved in 
life be prosecuted yet more vigorously by others, to 
whom his life may be an inspiration and an example. " 

" The special meetings which are being held in 
many of our churches prevent many of our city 
pastors from being present. I have words of sym- 
pathy and regret from a number of these, also letters 
which should be read at this time. 

"Dr. R. T. Middleditch has kindly consented to 
read these." 

LETTER FROM THE REV. ALBERT J. LYMAN, D. D. 

" 255 President St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
11 January 20, 1897. 
" My Dear Dr. Stoddard. 

11 1 very much regret that owing to an engagement 
made a fortnight since and publicly announced, so 
that it is imperative, to preach to-night in connection 
with a series of revival meetings held in another and 
distant part of the city, I am unable to be present in 
person and possibly to add my spoken word, as I 
should be so glad to do, in the service held to-night 
in honor of the noble and sainted memory of our 
dear and lamented brother Sheridan. 

"In view of my enforced absence therefore from 
the service, may I beg the privilege of adding this 
brief written word, which can but feebly express the 
honor in which I have held him and his work? 

"During now nearly a quarter of a century it has 
been my privilege to labor in the Gospel ministry, in 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 167 

this part of the city, side by side with Brother Sheri- 
dan, although his parish was larger than mine, and, 
indeed, larger than any other man's among us, em- 
bracing mine as well as others in the one area of his 
beneficent and faithful offices of Christian consolation 
and instruction as well as missionary service. During 
this entire period of years my honor for him and my 
confidence in him have steadily increased — sagacious 
in counsel, tender in sympathy, unflagging in service, 
wise to win souls to Christ and to keep them won — 
this dear servant of God, more and more, seemed to 
me a rarely trustworthy minister of God. Again and 
again I have had occasion to seek his counsel with 
reference to individuals and families. Again and. 
again I have committed to his care delicate matters of 
pastoral ministration, I have always found him most 
prompt, most wise, most welcome to those whom he 
served and most efficient in the service which he 
rendered. 

" How we shall all miss him ! How will the fami- 
lies of the poor in south Brooklyn miss him? How 
will the water front miss his winsome and saintly 
presence of a Sunday morning? No man among us 
probably has been so many times to our beautiful 
Greenwood, officiating at the burial of the dead. 

" Brother Sheridan has enriched and adorned the 
ideal of the sacred calling among us. He was univer- 
sally beloved and respected by all classes in the com- 
munity. No alley or hallway in the worst neighbor- 
hoods so dark or dangerous, but that his white hair 
could pass through it in perfect safety. He illus- 



168 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

trates the possibilities of the " City Missionary," 
becoming truly and with the glad consent and con- 
fidence of all, a Christian ' Pastor at large ' in the 
city. 

" I honor the noble society of which he has been 
so long time a faithful servant, and which has ex- 
tended to him so high a degree of its confidence and 
honor. 

"Brother Sheridan has said repeatedly to me within 
these years that he hoped he would not outlive his 
period of active usefulness. He said, 'I cannot bear 
to think of living on uselessly after my power to work 
is done; I hope I shall pass away quickly in the midst 
of my work, if it be the Lord's wilL' 

" It was the Lord's will. Suddenly and in a moment, 
as it were, was the consciousness of this earthly scene 
arrested and the consciousness of the invisible realm 
of the blessed begun. He leaves an absolutely spot- 
less record and memory, if we can affirm this of any 
man; although his own modesty would make him the 
least willing of any to admit the propriety of such 
words of praise. 

''May God bless to us all in south Brooklyn the 
memory of this noble and beautiful Christian man 
and minister." 

The Rev. Doctor Lyman is a Congregationalist; 
Doctors Gilland and Moment are Presbyterians. In 
Doctor Moment's address mention is made of Mr. 
Sheridan's love for children, and of his own little 
daughter Julia. During the delightful times that 
my brother and myself had together at Rutland, 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 169 

• 

Iowa, in 1894, he spoke of many of his Brooklyn 
friends. Of Doctor Moment he spoke in the warmest 
manner, and then told me about the Doctor's affec- 
tionate little daughter. It pleased me to learn that 
Doctor Moment knew his little daughter was a 
favorite of the man whose memory he delighted to 
honor. 

LETTER FROM N. E. WOOD, D.D. 

" Boston, January 19, 1897. 
" My Dear Mr. Bate. 

" I regret exceedingly that I am unable to go to 
Brooklyn to be present at Mr. Sheridan's funeral. I 
prized his friendship and his Christian affection more 
than words can describe. He was one of God's noble- 
men. His life was a shining illustration of unselfish 
usefulness. He never acknowledged weariness, if 
there was anywhere an opportunity to help some one, 
or carry them a word of cheer, or tell them the good 
news of the gospel, or supply their need. I have 
known very few men who were so genuinely useful as 
John Sheridan. For more than five years I knew 
intimately his daily life. He was often in my study, 
and at my table, and confided to me many of the 
secrets of his inner life. He was one of the best men 
that I ever knew. He walked with God every day, 
and * loved his neighbor as himself.' My heart clung 
to him because of his simple, reliable, unaffected good- 
ness. He was devout and humble, and deprecated 
any praise bestowed upon him. Everybody who knew 
him loved and trusted him. Everyone knew that he 



170 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

would not on any consideration wrong anyone, or hurt 
anyone. I saw him at one time, under very great 
provocation, suffering wholly unjustly from the wrong- 
doings and malicious actions of some supposed friends. 
But there was no trace of bitterness, or ill-will, in his 
heart. He was all sorrow and kindness in seeking to 
excuse the wrong done him. ' He was indeed an 
Israelite in whom there was no guile.' How many 
hearts he had comforted, with his words of hope! 
His very presence always seemed a benediction. I 
feel that the world is greatly poorer for his having 
gone out of it. The poor will miss his kindly face 
and generous hand. I wish, if there is any opportu- 
nity, that you would read this letter at his funeral. I 
want to give my testimony to his pure, noble, Christ- 
like character. The grace of God was greatly magni- 
fied in him. He will have many stars in his crown of 
rejoicing. I mourn with you at his loss. 

" Two imperative engagements for public service 
to-morrow afternoon and evening prevent me from 
leaving Boston, else I would come. I thank you for 
letting me know of his death. It was very kind of you." 

The following tender words were spoken by the 
Pastor: 

u I have lost a personal friend, a spiritual adviser 
and a true and loving brother in the death of John 
Sheridan. 

"God only knows how I have leaned upon him. 
Scarcely a week has passed during my pastorate here 
when I have not met him for advice or counsel or 
exchange of mutual confidence. 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 171 

" I feel sure that I have never enjoyed the acquaint- 
ance of a brother in whom I have seen more of the 
Spirit of my Master manifested in every-day life. 

" So mighty was his love for lost men, that I believe 
he would have counted it his chief joy to die as he 
did, if his death should be the means of turning any- 
one to Christ. 

" Last evening twenty-three persons stood in our 
meeting and said, pray for me that I may have the 
Saviour of Mr. Sheridan for my Saviour. 

"May the God in whose service he died grant us 
this blessing. Brother Sheridan, we shall all miss 
you, for we all loved you. We loved you not only for 
what you did for us, but for the revelation of the 
Christ life which your daily conduct gave us. 

" We will not say good bye, for you shall ever live 
in our hearts and memories until we meet you, 
crowned with the Master's approval at the great day 
of rejoicing.'' 

" After a solo by Miss Keeler, the Rev. E. Dennett, 
of the Tabernacle Baptist Church, offered prayer and 
the entire congregation sang four verses cf ' Asleep 
in Jesus, blessed sleep.' 

',' The benediction was pronounced by Rev. R. T. 
Middleditch, D. D. 

"Miss Wilda Rood closed the services with an 
appropriate solo." 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY THE CHURCH. 

lt John Sheridan, Minister of the Gospel and Mis- 
sionary of the Cross, born in Ireland, August 17, 1824, 



172 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

was suddenly called from his earthly ministry to the 
higher services of Heaven, January 18, 1897. After 
having delivered, as was his Sabbath morning custom, 
the Divine message to those who ' go down to the sea 
in ships,' he fell from a ship's ladder, and in a brief 
twenty-four hours heard the Master's welcome: ' Come 
ye blessed of my Father,' for, ' Inasmuch as ye have 
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye 
have done it unto me.' 

u The family of John Sheridan was recognized in 
the West of Ireland as of superior intelligence. The 
mother had died when he was quite a lad, but his 
father, a member of the Baptist communion, a man of 
uncompromising principle, courageous spirit and emi- 
nent piety, was spared to instruct and guide him into 
young manhood. He lived to advanced age and saw 
reproduced in his son, those sterling qualities that 
had distinguished his own character. 

"Converted in youth, baptised in young manhood, 
John Sheridan attended the Episcopal Church on 
Sunday mornings, conforming to the local custom, 
and the Baptist services held on Sunday afternoons. 
He thus early learned of the oneness of faith, of the 
unity of Spirit of all evangelical believers, and to re- 
spect the right of private judgment in doctrine and 
church polity. 

" He began missionary service in his own imme- 
diate neighborhood by reading the Scriptures in the 
Gaelic language, a language of which he ever remained 
a master. His formal ministry as a missionary was 
begun in 1846, when only twenty-two years of age, 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 173 

with The Irish Society, a Union organization. So 
ardent was his zeal, so manifest his success, that the 
letter of introduction which he brought from Dean 
Plunkett, of Ireland, to Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, of New 
York, bore this remarkable testimony to the value of 
his work: • It is a calamity to Ireland to lose such 
young men.' 

" Severing his connections in Ireland, he came to 
the United States in May, 1855. In the beginning 
his heart had been enlisted in the cause of Foreign 
Missions and he h?d hoped to dedicate himself to that 
service in ' Asia, Africa or the islands of the sea,' but 
various hindrances having arisen, he came to this 
country where in his work he touched so many nation- 
alities that in effect, he proved himself both a Home 
and Foreign Missionary. After the labor of a year in 
Flushing, L. I., where he assisted in organizing a 
Baptist church, he came to Brooklyn and under the 
au3piee3 of the City Mission and Tract Society began 
the service of forty continuous years, a service that 
was to be crowned with phenomenal success and to 
close only with his life. 

"In Brooklyn, John Sheridan lived out the few 
brief years of domestic happiness that were allotted 
him, and for the remaining years mourned as faiths 
fully as he had loved tenderly the wife whom God had 
given, and taken from him. Two children had blessed 
this marriage; one child had died in infancy; the 
other, grown into young manhood, will hold in rever- 
ent remembrance both father and mother, now saints 
in glory. 



174 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

"It was shortly after coming to this city that was 
formed his connection with this church which ex- 
tended to him not only the hand of fellowship but 
later, ordained him to the Christian Ministry; for 
hitherto he had been licensed only. Of this faithful 
ministry the Carroll Park Sunday School and the 
Shining Light Mission stand forth as signal examples. 

" What shall be said of the long labor of love in this 
church ? Three generations have shared in its bene- 
dictions. He has been with us in joy and in sorrow; 
he has counselled in times of perplexity and trouble; 
he has comforted in days of sorrow and anguish; he 
has buried our dead; he has recalled the promise of 
the better resurrection, and urged us to fill out the 
measure of our own days with more complete and con- 
secrated service. 

" He has now gone from us, just as the 50th year of 
Missionary service and the 40th year of faithful mem- 
bership among us had rounded to a beautiful com- 
pleteness. ' He was not, for God took him.' He has 
gone leaving to us the memory of a man of God for 
whom the Bible was the sole guide in faith and prac- 
tice, who, discovering a ' thus saith the Lord,' stood 
immovable. A man of God whose great heart inclu- 
ded in its love and helpfulness, all classes and condi- 
tions of men. Who, with singular humility, with 
patient steadfastness, with untiring zeal served his 
God and sought to make known to man the salvation 
that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

" In our deep sorrow and sense of loss as a church, 
we extend to the smitten son and his family, to the 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 175 

"bereft Mission, to the Society he had served so long 
and faithfully, our profoundest sympathy. May they 
and we by the light of this illustrious example better 
serve both God and man. 

" Churchill H. Cutting, 

•' Mrs. Churchill H, Cutting, 

" William Paine, 

" Committee. 

" Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 29, 1897." 

The Strong Place Church made no mistake in the 
selection of this Committee. Mr. and Mrs. Cutting 
and Mr. Paine had been for many years numbered 
amongst his most intimate friends He spent many 
delightful hours at the Cutting home, and at his home 
Mr. Paine was a constant and welcome visitor. The 
members of the Committee made no mistake when 
they said that he believed in " the Unity of Spirit of 
Fill evangelical believers.''" From the day of his con- 
version to the hour of his death, he had true friends 
in the various evangelical denominations. And yet, 
he was a decided Baptist. If he had not been, he 
never would have left his native land. But the gen- 
uine Baptist above all others should know how " to 
respect the right of private judgment in doctrine and 
polity." 

A very large proportion of those who were brought 
to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, through his instrumentality, became Baptists 
even though he was the soul of honor as the Mission- 
ary of a Union Society. He ever sought to place 
families under the influence of Pastors who would be 



176 A CONSECRATED LIFE. 

likely to do them the greatest amount of good, At 
the same time he urged converts to search the Scrip- 
tures and form their own opinions, and we Baptists 
believe that the Bible is on our side. Many who had 
no denominational preference, extended their good 
opinion of the Minister to his denomination, and then 
the Baptists had the preference. Many who went out 
from under his influence to other parts of our land, 
and even to other lands, sought out Baptist churches, 
and in time united with them. Without doubt many 
in Brooklyn and elsewhere became Baptists through 
acquaintanceship with him. " Let your light so shine 
before men that they may see your good works, and 
glorify your Father which is in heaven." This is a 
sure way to build up one's denomination without 
cherishing a sectarian spirit. 

His likeness was given in the Minutes of the Long 
Island Baptist Association for 1897, and a memorial 
notice of several pages printed with it, prepared by 
his Pastor and friend, the Rev. Frank P. Stoddard. I 
give the closing part of the " Memorial Notice" : 

" In loyalty to God, in fidelity to principle, in love 
for his fellow-men, in untiring service, in dauntless 
courage in Christ-like humility, he was a prince 
among men. His genial face, his cheerful voice, his 
warm hand-grasp, his wise counsel, his encouraging 
words have given joy and cheer and instruction and 
courage and hope to multitudes who are left to mourn 
his loss. He is greatly missed because he was greatly 
loved. He was greatly loved because, like his Master, 
he gave himself for others. The sailors and 'long- 



A CONSECRATED LIFE. 177 

shoremen will miss him on the ships and at the docks. 
The poor will miss him when cold and hunger and 
sickness and sorrow knock at their door. The rich 
will miss him when in need of comfort or counsel or 
companionship. Sinners will miss him when thejr 
seek for one to point them to the Lamb of God. He 
will be missed in the gaily lighted homes where love 
and beauty move in joy and laughter amid the orange 
blossoms. And most of all he will be missed in the 
darkened home where crushed and bleeding hearts sit 
in silence amid the ruins of their fondest hopes. 

" Dear man of God, who can fill his place? Whose 
life is large enough to wear his mantle? Whose con- 
secration is complete enough to wish it? Whose heart 
is pure enough to deserve it? Who so loved of God 
as to receive it? For him to live was Christ; for him 
to die was gain!'' 

" Servant of God, well done ; 
Rest from thy loved employ ; 
The battle fought, the victory won, 
Enter thy Master's joy. 

" Servant of Christ, well done ; 
Praise be thy new employ ; 
And while eternal ages run, 
Rest in thy Saviour's joy." 



APPENDIX. 



A BOUT the year 1854, Turlough Sheridan, known 
to his English-speaking descendants as Terence, 
settled in the county of Sligo, on land given him for 
services rendered in Cromwell's army. The land was 
not more than a mile from the sea, and this gives 
evidence that the family tradition with regard to his 
Protestantism, is correct, as no land was assigned to 
Roman Catholics, under Cromwell, within four miles 
of the sea. His land was not Carrowpaden, however. 
He was a native of Cavan, and belonged to the family 
from which the O'Sheridans selected their Chiefs for 
many generations. In the latter part of the sixteenth 
century, the O'Sheridans rebelled against Queen 
Elizabeth, were subdued, and stripped of their pos- 
sessions. Our traditions do not give the name of 
Turlouglrs father or grandfather. They simply claim 
that he belonged to the Chieftain family. The family 
to which u the gifted Thomas Sheridan, of Cavan/' 
belonged, is spoken of as "the branch of our family 
that remained in Cavan," and we know that King 
James the Second's friend waa grandson to Donald 
or Daniel, the last member of the family who was 
recognized as Chief by the English government. 
There were ninety-six years between the birth of the 
grandfather and grandson. Donald (Dohnall, in 



APPENDIX. 179 

■Gaelic) married a daughter of the O'Neill. As he 
was born in 1550, the O'Neill, whose daughter he 
married, most probably was Turlough Leuineach, who 
was "The O'Neill" from 1567 to 1593. It may not 
be without interest to note that Turlough was the 
family name of the early Sheridans of Sligo, although 
in English it is called Terence. 

Our Cromwellian ancestor shared in the impoverish- 
ment of his family, and so had to learn a trade — that 
■of blacksmith — in order that he might be able to earn 
his livelihood. To this he added the profession of 
veterinary surgeon. He became veterinary surgeon 
to a cavalry regiment in Cromwell's army. He ranked 
with the officers; and because of his family connec- 
tions, was treated with marked respect. In some way 
he managed to get an education in both the English 
and the Gaelic languages. He had two sons, each of 
whom had a son named Turlough or Terence, one of 
whom was known in those Gaelic-speaking days as 
"Turlough-a-waggy," which, in English, means Ter- 
ence the witty. He was a typical Sheridan, for those 
times — very witty, fascinating in conversation, but 
lacking in the ability to make both ends meet finan- 
cially. His cousin and namesake, my ancestor, was 
quite different in many respects. Though less witty, 
he was much more of a leader of men. He was 
richly endowed with that which we call magnetism, 
and this was transmitted to many of his descendants. 
The family wit reappeared among some of them. 
My father's uncle Hugh, was the originator of many 
bright sayings. Perhaps the most remarkable thing 



180 APPENDIX. 

about the Terence of whom we are now speaking, 
was his ability to accumulate property, as that was 
by no means a Sheridan qualification in his day and 
generation. 

Like their relatives in Cavan, the Sheridans, of 
Sligo, adhered to the worthless James the second. 
The eldest brother of Terence, a mere stripling, 
served under Sarsfield, who was his relative, and fell 
mortally wounded at the battle of Aughram. For 
more than forty-eight hours the young soldier suffered 
from intolerable thirst. He was found by a young 
friend and neighbor, who belonged to the Williamite 
army. When his thirst was slaked, he delivered a 
message for his parents, then closed his eyes and 
died. His friend wept over him and buried him as 
best he could. During the battle they were foes. 
The battle over, they were friends again, and the 
families to which they belonged continued to be 
on friendly terms for generations. 

When Terence came upon the stage of action, he 
very sensibly submitted to the British government. 
He had the confidence of those in authority, and 
frequently went security for the suspects of those 
days, including the parish priest. In this way he 
kept many out of prison. He farmed on an extensive 
scale and accumulated property. Banks were not 
« looked upon as safe in those days; so he buried a 
large quantity of gold in the earth, intending to divide 
it among his six sons and three daugters before his 
death; but he died suddenly while sitting in his arm- 
chair, and the gold was never found. It is supposed 



APPENDIX. 181 

to form a part of the "hid treasure/' of which so 
much is said in Ireland. It would seem that it was 
not for our family to have much of this world's goods. 
In the latter part of the sixteenth century, they lost 
their possessions for having rebelled against a monarch 
who claimed to have been their lawful sovereign, 
whilst in the latter part of the seventeenth century, 
they lost the land given by Cromwell for having 
adhered to their lawful, though worthless King. And 
vvhen a man appeared among them who was able to 
make and save money, his children failed to reap the 
full benefit of his energy and thrift on account of his 
sudden death. However, all was not lost, as some of 
Ids sons had been " set up " before his death, and two 
of his younger sons, Hugh, my ancestor, and Thomas 
were favored with a liberal education. 

If our family traditions can be relied on, our Crom- 
wellian ancestor was a man of decided ability; nor is 
this difficult to believe, as a large proportion of his 
decendants have been leaders of local fame. Some of 
them have been talented enough for higher leader- 
ship had they been differently circumstanced. Daniel 
Sheridan, descended from him in the fifth generation, 
was a prominent leader in the rebellion of 1798. His 
relatives, Protestant and Roman Catholic, were proud 
of him, as they believed him to have been an able and 
a brave man who was willing to die for his native 
land, although some of them looked upon the rebel- 
lion as unwise. Daniel was a native of Mayo, but his 
father was born in the County of Sligo. The people 
of both counties used to sing songs about " Sheridan 



182 APPENDIX. 

of Cuilcarney who commanded the Ribbon Blades," 
This was continued to my own day. I frequently 
heard those songs in my native place. 

I will now give some of our traditions about the 
Sheridans of Brefney, or County Cavan: 

There was a time when the Sheridan Clan owned a 
large part of Brefney East, now known as County 
Cavan. In very early times, their Chief owed his 
allegiance directly to the King of Meath, who was the 
Ard High, or " High " King of Ireland. Later, the 
Chief was in alliance with " The O'Reilly " of Brefney. 
Like other Irish Clans, there was one family from 
which the Chief was invariably chosen, and ours was 
that family. It sometimes happened though, that a 
Chief was succeeded by a comparatively distant rela- 
tive, even when he left sons, the member of the family 
supposed to be the best fitted for leadership being the 
one raised to the position by the Clan. Our family 
then held a proud position among the principal fami- 
lies in Ireland, to many of whom the O'Sheridans 
were related. But during the wars in Elizabeth's day, 
they were conquered, and their lands were given to 
English adventurers. 

The following is an extract from a speech made at 
the bar of the English House of Commons by Thomas 
Sheridan, of Cavan. Those from whom I received 
the above did not know tha*, such a speech had ever 
been made. The speech, therefore, had nothing to 
do with our traditions. Indeed, the traditions are 
older than the speech, as they have come to us from 
our Cromwellian ancestor. Thomas Sheridan said: 



APPENDIX. 183 

" I was born a gentleman, of one of the ancientest 
families, and related to many considerable in Ireland. 
In one county there is a castle and a large demesne, 
in another a greater tract of land for several miles 
together still called by our name. I need not say 
who has the land as Chief, — 'tis too much that my 
grandfather was the last that enjoyed our estate, and 
that my father, left an orphan at the beginning of 
King James' reign, soon found himself dispossessed, 
and thrown upon the world." 

His father was the Rev. Denis Sheridan, of whom 
we shall speak further on. I would say to my Amer- 
ican readers that the word " gentleman" has a meaning 
in the British Isles that is not given to it in this country. 

The Chief of a Clan did not own all the land under 
old Irish law T . The castles and certain lands belonged 
to the Chieftain family, and the Chief for the time- 
being had many privileges, but the land as a whole 
was owned by the Clan before English law prevailed. 
Some dispute this, but those w T ell versed in old Irish 
law are quite positive in holding this opinion. 

The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava in his chnrming 
sketch of the brilliant family of the name says: 

" The Sheridans. though they fell afterwards upon 
evil days, were originally an ancient, affluent and im- 
portant family, possessing castles and lands in the 
County Cavan, a tract of which is marked in the old 
maps of the period as i the Sheridan country;' but in 
Queen Elizabeth's time, their property was escheated, 
as Thomas Sheridan bitterly complained before the 
bar of the House of Commons in 165:0." 



284 APPENDIX. 

4 In Cavan ; the ancient Brefney East, the families 
mentioned in a map bearing date 1607, are the Sheri- 
dans or O'Sheridans and the O'Reillys." — Notes on 
the Sheridans. 

" Behind the Palace of Kilmore, where Bedell's 
bones repose, the traveler will come upon an intricate 
net work of Lake scenery among hills and wooded 
flats. Here is Trinity Island where stand the remains 
of an old Abbey, and many legends about the Sheri- 
dans cluster round this island. It is said that the 
first of the family settled here from Spain ... in 
the fifth or sixth century, and founded a school of 
learning on the island which he enriched with a 
library of manuscripts. This insular University was 
presided over from generation to generation by one 
of the Sheridan family, and an Irish manuscript now 
in the University of Rheims, was edited by one of the 
name. Considerably north of Trinity Island is 
Cloughoughter Castle, where Bedell was imprisoned. 
The castle stands on a small island, and is a beautiful 
ruin. Here lived Donald Sheridan, the father of 
Denis, who translated the Holy Scriptures into Irish. 
Donald Sheridan was married to a daughter of The 
O'Neill, and had two sons, Denis and another, and a 
daughter who was the grandmother of the gallant 
Sarsfield." — Notes on the Sheridans, as published in 
Lord Duffer iris Booh. 

Our family knew about this famous school, but they 
did not believe that it originated with a native of 
Spain. They believed that the first of the family 
belonged to the Milesian race, which in all probability 



APPEXDIX. 185 

passed over to Ireland from Spain in the fifth or sixth 
century before Christ. It is denied by some that the 
Milesians ever had an existence, but in spite of many 
fabulous stories, there is solid ground for the belief 
that at an early day there was an emigration from 
Spain to Ireland. In some parts of Ireland there are 
traces even yet of the Spanish origin of the people. 
However, the Irish race of to-day is greatly mixed. 

It is a well-known fact that in connection with the 
great evangelical movement in Ireland during the 
fifth, sixth and later centuries of our era, that country 
became famous for its schools of learning. Such 
schools were founded by members of Princely or 
Chieftain families, and doubtless the Sheridan school 
originated in that way, as there was a Sheridan people 
or clan before the second son of O'Connor Sligo took 
the name. In those early centuries, students flocked 
from all parts of Europe to "The Island of Saints/' 
and Missionaries went out from that Island to many 
lands. Irish Missionaries might then be found in 
many parts of Europe, organizing churches, founding 
colleges, and antagonizing the pretentions of the 
Bishop of Rome. 

I received our family traditions from my father, but 
in addition to this, I heard them from his uncle John, 
who received them from his uncle John, who was 
great grandson to our Oromwellian ancestor. My 
father remembered to have seen him when he was 
about ninety years of age, the only member of the 
family belonging to that generation that he had ever 
seen. I remember my father's uncle John as an old 



186 APPENDIX. 

gentleman of three score years and ten or more, with 
white hair and a cheerful countenance. He belonged 
to a Gaelic-speaking generation, which language he 
used with great fluency, but he spoke the English 
with equal fluency, and with a pleasant accent. He 
took what might be called a melancholy pleasure, if 
such an expression may be used, in contrasting the 
exalted position once occupied by our family with its 
humble position in later times, A shade of sadness 
would come over his usually bright face as he would 
speak of ancient Brefney and the O'Sheridans. And 
yet he spoke in tones of pride, almost of triumph. 
I was the only one of my generation who gave much 
heed to what he had to say. From my earliest recol- 
lection I have been fond of history, and so "uncle" 
John's stories delighted me. I have reason to believe 
that my earnest attention was the source of comfort 
to him. His two sons, Daniel and Antony, family 
names in ancient Brefney, died in their young man- 
hood. As he had no grandsons of the name, he was 
very anxious to have his brother's grandsons know 
that— 

" Our ancestral tree was planted 

In ages long passed by 
By those who now are nothing, 

But then were proud and high ! ' 

He was the youngest grandson of the Terence who 
hid his gold in the earth. There was not far from 
one hundred years between the birth of Terence and 
that of his youngest grandson. 

In addition to hearing our family traditions from 



APPENDIX. 187 

his uncle John, my father received them in early 
manhood from a very intelligent member of another 
branch of the Sligo Sheridans. He fully believed 
that his Oromwellian ancestor belonged to the Chief- 
tain family of Cavan. And yet, he rarely spoke of 
his remote ancestors, in the presence of his children, 
but when I would tell him what I heard his uncle 
John say, he would talk to me quite freely about such 
things. 

Members of old families, in my native place 
believed that our family wa3 descended from the 
Chieftain family of Brefney, and many of them sup- 
posed that " the Sheridan Banshee " had followed our 
people from Cavan to Sligo. Now, it was an old 
belief that ooly princely or chieftain families had 
a Banshee, or woman fairy, to weep over those who 
were about to die. It was said that only three families 
in the barony, including ours, were favored in this 
way. In my boyhood days I heard a Koman Catholic 
woman, whose veracity no one doubted, declare in 
the most positive terms that she had seen the Sheridan 
Banshee on the night that a brother of mine died, 
which event occurred some years previously. She 
did not claim to have heard her " keen " or cry, but 
said she was dressed in the purest white. When I 
told my father about it, he said, "There is no Ban- 
shee; the belief in fairies is superstition. No doubt 
but Mrs. McGr. is honest in what she says, but she is 
mistaken. At the time she speaks of there were 
bushes growing close to the wall upon which she 
says she saw the woman in white standing. The 



188 APPENDIX. 

reflection from the light in the room where your 
brother lay dying, fell upon those bushes. Her 
imagination, together with the belief that such a 
person existed, did the rest." I accepted the explana- 
tion, but not without feelings of disappointment, as 
it seemed so nice to have the woman in white weep 
over those of our family who were about to die, 
especially as none of our near neighbors were thus 
honored. 

Superstitious beliefs are fast passing away. For 
this we should be grateful. God grant that the people 
of all lands may cling all the harder to revealed truth, 
as beliefs based upon fancy take to themselves wings, 
and fly away, 

The following extract from an old record in the 
Books of Ulster King of Arms, is given in Lord 
Dufferin's work. Just how or why the second son of 
O'Connor Sligo took the O'Sheridan surname, we 
cannot say. Certain it is that the Sheridan people 
had an existence before his time. He may have 
inherited Sheridan blood in the female line, and may 
have been adopted, as adoption was not unknown 
among Celtic clans. 

/ Sheridan \ 



I Seal. 1 



" The geneology of the noble family of O'Sheridan: 
" This noble family is descended from O'Connor 



APPENDIX. 189 

Sligo's second son, who took the sirname Sheridan. 
He was married to O'Reilly's daughter of the connty 
of Cavan. Their only son, Ostar, marched into that 
country at the head of an army, to assist his uncle 
O'Reilly against O'Rourke, who invaded part of that 
county, and proposed no less than to possess himself 
of the whole. In the year of our Lord 1013, Ostar 
Sheridan gained several battles. O'Rourke not find- 
ing himself able any longer to withstand Ostar, con- 
cluded a peace and gave over all the lands he pos- 
sessed, in the county of Cavan, to Ostar O'Sheridan, 
on condition that Ostar married his eldest daughter. 
Them conditions were accepted by all partys and 
ratified in the year 1014. O'Rourke returned to his 
patrimony in the county of Leitrim. James is at 
present Chief? and first of the family. The mansion 
house of the O' Sheridan was called Togher, in the 
county Cavan. He had many great possessions in 
said county and as far as to the borders of Meath, 
Westmeath and Longford; too many to be here in- 
serted. There are three trefoils that furnish the arms 
about the Lyon. The arms are a Lyon Rampant in a 
field argant furnished with trefoils, the crest a stag 
crouched on a mountain." 
The Sheridan genealogy is given as follows: 
Ostar, Antony, Conor, Antony, Conor, Antony, 
Conor, Antony, Thaddeus, Audven, Donald, Denis. 
Evidently, some generations are missing. The above- 
named married daughters of The O'Neill, The 
O'Donnell, The O'Farrell, The O'Conor Don, The 
O'Reilly, The O'Rourke, The O'Conor Siigo, and. 



190 APPENDIX. 

O'Brady. That is to say, they were connected with 
most of the princely families in the northern half of 
Ireland, including Longford and Oonnaught. Al- 
though the Eight Honorable Eichard Brinsley Sheri- 
dan had such an ancestry to look to, Mrs. Oliphant, 
in her biography of that remarkable man, endeavors 
to make it appear that the Sheridans were not Irish 
at all, except by a kind of accident. " Certainly," she 
says, " the race of Columba seems to have little in 
common with the race of Sheridan." In another 
place she says, " Sheridan's nationality could be little 
more than nominal, yet his interest in Irish affairs 
had always been great." She did not know that she 
was writing about a man who was proud of his Irish 
origin, and who was "both fond and proud of his 
native land." No truer Irishman has ever lived than 
the Right Hon. Richard B. Sheridan. He was great, 
great grandson to the Rev. Denis Sheridan, whose 
mother was " a daughter of The O'Neill." Denis was 
the principal translator of the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures into the Irish or Gaelic language. He was aided 
for a time by an Irish scholar named King, but soon 
the Rev. Mr. King dropped out. " The good Bedell," 
Bishop of Kilmore, gets the credit of the work, as it 
was done under his auspices. Doctor Bedell was an 
Englishman, and was fifty-seven years of age when he 
became Bishop of Kilmore. His knowledge of the 
Gaelic must, therefore, have been slight; but he was 
one of the most learned Hebrew scholars of his day, 
and was, therefore, a great help to Sheridan. 

The Rev. Denis Sheridan was a remarkable man in 



APPENDIX. 191 

many respects. He did many things that would have 
made other men most unpopular, yet he retained the 
good will of those who differed widely from him, reli- 
giously and otherwise. During the rebellion of 1641, 
he remained in his own house with perfect safety, 
although other Protestant ministers had to flee for 
their lives. It was at his home that Doctor Bedell 
died, and from that home he was honored with such a 
funeral as no other Protestant Bishop of English birth 
has ever had in Ireland. Doubtless much of this 
honor was due to a just recognition of his worth, but 
no small share of it was attributable to the popularity 
of the friend at whose house he died. Denis preached 
in Gaelic as well as in English, and the Gaelic-speaking 
people flocked to hear him, although most of them 
were Koman Catholics. He began his public life as 
a Koman Catholic, yet he lived to see two of his sons, 
William and Patrick, Bishops in the Protestant 
Church of Ireland, and that at a time when most of 
the Protestant Bishops in Ireland were men of English 
birth. He was eloquent in both languages, and was 
" a born leader " of men. He was the ancestor of a 
remarkable race, and was the fit proginator of such. 
In speaking of his descendants, Lord Dufferin says in 
his sketch of the Sheridans: 

" It will be seen on reference to a table appended to 
this volume that during the last two hundred and 
fifty years the family has produced twenty-eight 
authors, and more than two hundred works." "We 
now come to the seventh generation in descent from 
Denis Sheridan, the friend, host, and collaborator of 



192 APPENDIX. 

Bishop Bedell. During more than two centuries the 
race had been waging a harassing and often calamit- 
ous battle with the world and fortune; but on its 
intellectual side it had always been eminent, and 
sometimes triumphant." 

The " insular University," presided over for many 
generations by men of the name, had doubtless much 
to do with the development and strengthening of the 
mental powers of the family, as its members must 
have generally shared in the privileges of that school 
of learning. The gain thus received has come as an 
inheritance to later generations, nor has the County 
Sligo branch been excluded by the law of heredity. 

The descendants of the Rev. Denis Sheridan have 
made the name famous in the intellectual world. 
From the many beautiful contributions by them to 
the literary world, I give " The Lament of the Irish 
Emigant," a poem that has touched many Irish hearts 
on this side of the Atlantic. It was admired by my 
brother John, as indeed it has been by intelligent 
Irishmen the wide world over. It was written by the 
late Lady Dufferin, whose maiden name was Helen 
Selina Sheridan. She was a grand-daughter of the 
brilliant Richard Brinsley Sheridan, whose genius 
she inherited, which genius she transmitted to her 
eminent son, The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. 



"THE LAMENT OF THE IRISH EfllGRANT. 



' I'm sitting on the stile, Mary, 

Where we sat side by side, 
That bright May morning, long ago, 

When first you were my bride. 
The corn was springing fresh and green ? 

The lark sang loud and high ; 
The red was on your lip, Mary — 

The love-light in your eye ! 

The place is little changed, Mary, 

The day is bright as then — 
The lark's loud song is in my ear, 

The corn is green again ; 
But I miss the soft clasp of your hand, 

Your breath warm on my cheek, 
And I still keep listening for the words 

You never more may speak. 

'Tis but a step down yonder lane, 

The little church stands near — 
The church where we were wed, Mary — 

I see the spire from here; 
But the graveyard lies between, Mary — 

My step might break your rest — 
Where you, my darling, lie asleep 

With your baby on your breast. 



I'm very lonely now, Mary— 

The poor make no new friends ; 
But, oh ! they love the better still 

The few the Father sends— 
And you were all I had, Mary, 

My blessing and my pride ! 
There's nothing left to care for now, 

Since my poor Mary died. 

Your's was the good brave heart, Mary, 

That still kept hoping on, 
When trust in God had left my soul, 

And half my strength was gone ; 
There was comfort ever on your lip, 

And the kind look on your brow ; 
I bless you, Mary, for that same, 

Though you can't hear me now. 

I thank you for the patient smile, 

When your heart was fit to break ; 
When the hunger pain was gnawing there 

You hid it for my sake. 
I bless you for the pleasant word, 

When your heart was sad and sore. 
Oh ! I'm thankful you are gone, Mary, 

Where grief can't reach you more ! 

I'm bidding you a long farewell, 

My Mary— kind and true ! 
But I'll not forget you, darling. 

In the land I'm going to. 
They say there's bread and work for all, 

And the sun shines always there ; 
But I'll not forget old Ireland, 

Were it fifty times as fair. 



And when amid the grand old woods, 

I sit and shut my eyes, 
My heart will travel back again 

To where my Mary lies ; 
I'll think I see the little stile, 

Where we sat side by side — 
And the springing corn and the bright May morn, 

When first you were my bride ! " 



ADDENDUM. 

In the Brooklyn edition of the New York Tribune, 
September 26, 1898, the preparation for the Jubilee 
of the Strong Place Baptist Church was spoken of 
at some length, It was said under the heading, 
" Prominent Members:" 

" Clergymen who were ordained in the Church were 
John Calhoun Jones, Thomas M. Westrop, and John 
Sheridan, that City Missionary who was lovingly 
called ' Father Sheridan,' and whose death over a year 
ago w r as mourned by the whole city. His body lay in 
state in his old Church, and was viewed by a long 
procession of men and women whom he had helped 
by his sympathy." 



8681 01 fiON 



0- 



6 



